


Evolve

by Kaylen_Go_Vee



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, Eventual Romance, Here we go everyone, M/M, Multi, Original Pokemon Region, Pokemon, Pokemon Adventure, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23525773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaylen_Go_Vee/pseuds/Kaylen_Go_Vee
Summary: Amajiki Tamaki, a ten year old boy who desires to get away from his suffocating town where he feels he doesn't belong in, decides to become a Pokemon Trainer and venture out into the Yuuei region.Through his path, he faces down enemies and dangers beyond his comprehension.However, the challenge of growing up might be his most dangerous one yet.(A Boku no Hero Academia x Pokemon crossover.  Tamaki-centric. Revolves around his adventure over the years as he grows up and matures)
Relationships: Amajiki Tamaki/Toogata Mirio, Hadou Nejire/Yuyu
Comments: 19
Kudos: 87





	1. Adventure... Start!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a great adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S A BNHA X POKEMON CROSSOVER EVERYONE THIS AIN'T A DRILL.
> 
> I have zero self-restraint ahaha....
> 
> But yeah, new fic everyone! This story is mainly Tamaki-centric and basically follows him through his Pokemon adventure, even until he grows up. The miritama in this is some serious slow-burn and I kind of made Nejire a bit of a jerk in the beginning so you are warned.
> 
> Anyway, HAPPY READING!!!

"Mi... Mi..."

A boy of only age four, with deep indigo eyes and hair, and ears that seemed a little too long to be considered normal, stared down at the faux Pikachu in front of him for a moment. 

It looked sad somehow, under that costume... 

He knew what it was. He knew people said it was cursed but... 

"D-Do you...want to come with me...?"

"Mimikyu."

It nodded. 

"I don't have a Pokeball though... Is that okay?" 

Another nod. 

"Tamaki!! It's time to go!!!"

The boy jolted and turned to where a woman was calling and waving him over and back towards the Mimikyu. 

_"L-Let's go."_

_"Mimikyu."_

Tamaki's parents gave their son a questioning and slightly judgmental gaze, but a single glare was all he needed to make them shut up and let him take the Pokemon along. 

They were moving away from their little town. Tamaki had been completely against the move, but not a single person listened to him. So, he was going to take a piece of the town with him no matter what, even if it was a superstitious Pokemon that was thought to be a bad omen.

Tamaki refused to abandon it after giving it hope.

Not even when his feet threatened to buckle under him from his shaking when he demanded to take it with him. 

Besides... 

"Mimikyu."

Tamaki figured he knew how it felt. 

**\----------**

School was horrible. 

Everyone bullied him for having a Mimikyu. 

They called Mimikyu a curse, therefore Tamaki was a witch, harbouring a curse. 

_"Don't go near the witch!" "Ugly ugly witch!" "He'll bewitch you!" "Horrible curse-!"_

Tamaki tucked his head further into his shoulders as his Mimikyu stared down at him. He cracked a tiny smile and patted its head. Or at least, the top of its costume. Mimikyu seemed to appreciate the notion nonetheless and snuggled closer.

_'You're not a curse.'_

"Do you like Mimikyu?" 

Tamaki glanced up towards the blonde haired boy who had asked the question. He had bright blue eyes that were wide in curiosity and not a trace of fear or disgust. The raven was caught off guard and looked away.

"...A little. I feel...connected to this one. T-That's all." 

The blonde nodded with his mouth formed into an 'O'. "Ohhhh... Well I like all kinds of Pokemon! But everyone always only talks about Pikachu..." The last few words drained off into a mumble and the boy began twiddling his fingers.

Tamaki's Mimikyu suddenly seemed to perk up a bit at the blonde though, so Tamaki figured it was a good thing. Was it a good thing? 

"Ah... Uhm... Ama...jiki..." The words got caught in his throat.

Tamaki wanted to introduce himself but... The words they-

"T-T-Tamaki..."

The blonde boy blinked. And then gave a blinding grin. "Nice to meet you, Amajiki-kun! I'm Togata Mirio!"

_W-Wait, h-he actually understood...?_

"I- Ah.... Nice to...meet you too..."

"Hey Tamaki, what do you want to be?"

Mirio and Tamaki were sitting together in an open grassfield when the blonde asked that question. Tamaki blinked at him. 

".....I...don't know. Maybe a caretaker..." He answered thoughtfully as his words drifted off into a mumble. Truthfully, he never really thought about it. After all, he was still young and had other things to focus on, like school.

Mirio hummed and looked back towards the sky, feet waving left and right on a steady tick-tock like motion. 

"I wanna be a Pokemon Trainer. Travel the world, catch more Pokemon, meet new people, battle gyms... All that stuff." Mirio said, looking back towards his friend with a smile. "It sounds exciting, doesn't it?"

Tamaki merely stared right back at him before breaking off eye contact and looking back towards the sky with a forlorn expression. 

"....Maybe."

The two were seven when they met their new neighbour. 

Mirio and Tamaki actually lived pretty close by and always came by each other's house to play or do homework or anything like that. 

Until the house between theirs had a new resident. 

_And a girl their age._

Her name was Hadou Nejire, and as much as Tamaki wanted to like her, he just couldn't. 

She was always so loud, always shoving herself right up against Tamaki with questions he didn't want to answer, always so nosy, always so.... 

And yet Mirio liked her a lot. 

They would talk for hours on ends, play together until they passed out from exhaustion and do everything together. 

Like how Mirio and Tamaki used to. 

_"............"_

Tamaki got up and walked away from the conversation Mirio and Nejire were having, his Mimikyu in tow. 

His Mimikyu crooned softly in his arms as the dark haired boy smiled at his and patted its head. 

"I'm okay. Let's go train together, alright?"

The Pokemon stared up at its trainer for a moment before nodding resolutely. 

"That's good... I'm glad."

That day, Mimikyu tore down several trees with Shadow Ball. 

**_"I'm going to become a Pokemon Trainer."_ **

The bold declaration made at age seven startled Tamaki's parents into silence. 

And then all hell broke loose. 

They tried everything to convince him otherwise. Gifts, bribes, telling him how awful the outside world was, the challenges, the risks, but nothing worked. 

It wasn't that Tamaki wanted to become a Trainer, not really. It was an exciting aspect, as it would be to any child his age. But it wasn't for the thrill of adventure or anything that pushed Tamaki to his decision to become a Trainer.

_It was their ability to be able to leave and go off to wherever they wished._

_It was the perfect excuse._

_Anywhere else was fine._

_Just not here, in the suffocating town that Tamaki never felt right in._

Eventually, they reached a compromise. He'd go off on his tenth birthday. 

_With Mirio and Nejire._

.........

Tamaki sighed as he slumped down, with his Mimikyu preparing to curl up into its own bed by his nightstand. 

"...Mimikyu. I'm going to start making you more costumes."

"Mi?"

It was strange. Whenever Tamaki believed it was just him and his Pokemon, alone in a private space where no one else could hear him, his stutter seemed to leave him and he could speak smoothly and freely. He didn't know why it happened.

Everyone, even his parents, only knew him as the child with endless stuttering, to the point where his parents thought it was a mental disorder and sent him to a doctor, only to come back with negative results. 

But now? In the solitude of his quiet room and the company of only his Mimikyu, Tamaki felt relaxed. 

"You're going to get into more battles when we set off, so your costume's definitely gonna rip up." Tamaki explained, pointing at the Pokemon, who seemed to prick up in worry at the notion of his costume being torn off. Tamaki smiled. "See? So I'll be prepared. Okay?" He could learn how to sew with the nice old lady next door.

"Mimi."

_'Okay.'_

That night, Tamaki bought tens of thousands of Pokemon books and notes to study and memorize and prepared his Trainer outfit for himself.

A simple plain white shirt, a black jacket with a small white octopus on its back and comfortable, easy-to-move baggy blue pants and black sneakers.

Simple, comfortable and mobile.

Tamaki beamed.

**\----------**

When Tamaki turned ten Mirio and Nejire declared that all three of them would become Pokemon trainers by the next year. 

Tamaki didn't exactly... _like_ the way they worded it. 

Yes that had been his plan in the beginning anyway, but the fact that they just went off and... **decided** that on their own without bothering to tell Tamaki about it.....

..........

Tamaki clenched his fist tighter into the fabric of his shirt. 

Whatever. 

He was getting used to being excluded from the group. 

But then... 

**"I'm sorry, you came late so there's only one starter Pokemon left."**

_They left without him._

_Mirio left without him._

............

"Do you still want it?"

Tamaki blinked out of his haze and looked up towards the professor with what the older man saw as a strange expression that shouldn't have been on the face of a child of all things.

Tamaki didn't look upset. But he didn't look particularly happy, or even angry for that matter.

He just looked... _hollow._

It unsettled the professor.

Tamaki just gave a jerky nod, throat suddenly going too dry to speak. 

He let out the Pokemon to reveal a Rowlet. A grass type starter. In other words, Nejire and Mirio took the fire and water type. Question was, who got which one? 

The Pokemon practically leaped into Tamaki's arms, hooting frantically and rubbing up against the boy's chest like a lifeline. Tamaki briefly wondered why it was behaving this way, but it didn't take him very long to deduce that the Rowlet believed it had been abandoned. Which meant that Pokemon could see what was happening in the outside world even while in the Pokeball. 

And wasn't that just a heartbreaking revelation? 

Tamaki stroked over the Rowlet's feathers softly, but decisively. 

_"I won't abandon you."_

The professor gave Tamaki a Pokedex, some Pokeballs and sent him on his way, the uncomfortable feeling in his chest about the expression he saw on the young boy earlier never lifting. 

It was only when Tamaki was stepping along a Route that he felt an odd chill up his spine and looked left and right, until his eyes stopped at a sight he spotted in between the thick grooves of the forest beyond that he knew not to go into.

**_A pair of blood red eyes._ **

Tamaki didn't feel threatened by the sight, or even remotely scared.

He just felt _**mesmerized**_ , continuing to gaze into those eyes with a vacant expression.

_"..........."_

The eyes disappeared.

"Mi?" "Row!"

The raven blinked out of his haze to see his Mimikyu and Rowlet looking at him with matching concerned expressions _-a droopy mask in Mimikyu's case-_ and shook his head to fully snap out of whatever trance he had been under.

"Ah- Sorry." He apologized, patting the two Pokemon on the head in a comforting manner before realizing something major that he should've done beforehand.

Tamaki took out one of the Pokeballs from his belt and smiled down at his Mimikyu beside him before bending down to its level. 

"It's just formalities at this point, but how about we finally make it official?" He asked kindly, holding out the Pokeball to Mimikyu. 

There was no hesitation. The Pokemon butted its head against the button and zipped into the Pokeball. It didn't put up a fight and was caught easily.

Tamaki picked up the ball and let Mimikyu out with a satisfied expression, trying not to think too much about the red eyes he saw before anymore. 

_**"Well, guess our Pokemon journey starts now!"** _

**\----------**

The raven had encountered a few wild Pokemon and people along the route to the city who gave him advice _-verbally and through painful experience-_ and challenged him.

And in that time, Tamaki realized something strange. 

The boy focused a lot on his studies regarding Pokemon since he was preparing to become a Trainer, but also just because he had a lot more free time after Mirio stopped spending as much time with him. He poured his all into studying and now, his brain was stuffed with everything he needed to know about Trainer life. 

So, when he fought, it was like his head was cleared of the cotton shoved into his brain and he could pick apart his opponents easily. Their strengths, weaknesses and strategies were all laid bare for Tamaki to see. 

"I still have to learn from experience though..." Tamaki thought to himself after his Pokemon were rested up from fighting so vigorously. The nurse was really nice. Miss Chiyo Shuzenji was her name. She gave him gummies! 

"Are you two doing alright?" He asked his two Pokemon, watching them run around in the grass of the backyard behind the Pokemon Centre Miss Chiyo let them have to stretch and breathe a bit. 

"Rest and relaxation is important! Just go out a little for some fresh air and a breather! You kids need it!" Was what she had said. 

The two Pokemon scurried back at the sound of their Trainer's voice, which made Tamaki smile warmly.

He looked up towards the sky in deep thought before digging through his backpack for his map. If he continued walking, he'd reach Rokku City, where the first Gym Leader, Rock Lock, was waiting.

The raven wasn't too worried at first. After all, he had Rowlet with him, and Mimikyu was rather experienced. However... 

"Alright, let's see what moves you have right now, just to cover our bases." He mentioned to his Pokemon. "Mimikyu, you first?"

The two did as they were told and Tamaki took notes. 

Mimikyu had Shadow Ball, Astonish, Copycat and Shadow Sneak. 

"Mi...." Mimikyu drooped slightly as Tamaki contemplated what to do.

It wasn't that its move set wasn't good, it was just... 

"Are you alright if I give you a TM?" He asked, the Pokemon instantly jumping up and down in excitement and nodding frantically. It always jumped at the chance for something new to do that might cheer up their Trainer. The raven simply giggled and accepted the enthusiastic response. 

_"Alright then."_

The boy took out the strange head device the Professor had also given him before he left and stared at it for a moment or two.

He did his research on TMs and the TM Device, but he still had no idea how it worked, especially with Mimikyu considering its _'head'_ was just the top of its costume and might not actually **BE** its actual head...

So what in the world was the device connecting to?

In the end, Tamaki waved off the questions and got Mimikyu the TM87; Draining Kiss. A fitting TM Tamaki got as a _'gift'_ from his mother, and replaced Copycat. 

Rowlet on the other hand, had no such issues. 

Razor Leaf, Peck, Leafage and Shadow Sneak. 

Pretty good. 

After training up the two a bit more and testing out how well his strategies were, Tamaki wandered off to challenge the Rock Gym Leader; Rock Lock. 

The Yuuei Region wasn't exactly known for their Pokemon Trainers. As such, the gyms were small and there were so few experienced Pokemon Trainers that some of the Elite Four members of the region actually took part time as gym leaders as well. 

Speaking of the Elite Four...

_Yuuei was one of those regions with a seemingly unbeatable Champion._

Sure, people have challenged the Elite Four, but they were either so smug or overconfident that when they lost, they went crying or sulking back to their mommy or simply chickened out and couldn't keep going, giving up, while making excuses to kingdom come, thus allowing the Champion keep his title. 

To be fair, the Elite Four of the region were super tough, Tamaki had to admit... It must be tough to even get past **them**.

Thankfully, Rock Lock wasn't an Elite Four member. 

"You're going to do great." Tamaki whispered and patted Rowlet on the head, who cooed and rubbed up against his neck. The raven himself was also trying to do those breathing exercises he found on the internet to relax. It wouldn't do to panic right now. 

The three stopped in front of the gym and Tamaki was legitimately **shaking** from his nerves. 

Keep it cool keep it cool keep it cool keep it-

Then, the doors swung open.

_To reveal Mirio and Nejire._

Tamaki froze up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty then! So that's the first chapter! As you can see, like in the typical Pokemon games and manga, Tamaki's adventures start when he's at a tender age of ten!
> 
> His two Pokemon currently on his team are Mimikyu and Rowlet. Obviously, more Pokemon will be added on Tamaki's team, but that's all he has for now. A pretty solid team though I think.
> 
> On another note, I will mention that the battles in this fic match more with the Pokemon manga. Basically, the Trainer can get hurt in battles. Like say, take the move Surf. The entire field is wiped with water, so you could get swept up in the water just as much as the opponent and their Pokemon. There's also no restriction on like, what Pokemon you can unleash in some circumstances. For example, if you fell midway through battle, you can toss out a flying Pokemon to help you out, even though you have another Pokemon fighting on the field.
> 
> Apart from that, there's the whole gimmick with the game like an evil team that will be revealed later and rivals (Mirio and Nejire) and stuff like that, so stay tuned!
> 
> Leave a comment or a kudo if you did enjoy this and I'll see y'all later!!! ADIOS!!!


	2. Rock Lock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tamaki's first ever Gym Battle, and the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Back with another chapter of this!
> 
> Happy reading!

"Waaaah!! Tamaki! You made it!" Mirio exclaimed, waving his arms around frantically and rushing over, eyes gleaming with a glint of something else Tamaki couldn't pinpoint, even as he stayed frozen and rooted to the spot.

Nejire on the other hand, seemed confused and even upset at the sight of him. "I thought you chickened out!!" She said loudly, leaning to the left and right as if she was curious. 

Tamaki's eyes narrowed, but he looked down, gulping. Backing down. Like a coward. 

"N-No. I went to the professor j-just like you." And as proof, he showed them the Pokedex. "You two just had a head start...."

Especially since they left without him...

_"Let's have a Pokemon battle then!"_

Surprisingly, it was Nejire who said this and she practically shoved Mirio aside by the shoulder, making Tamaki frown slightly at the rude gesture. Mirio didn't seem too bothered by it though, which was weird to Tamaki. 

She practically chucked her Pokeball at the dark haired boy, who barely managed to dodge and send out his Rowlet. The Pokeball popped open to reveal... 

A Popplio. 

Tamaki figured as much. Popplio was sort of cute and seemed to be to Nejire's taste. Or perhaps she just chose it for the type advantage it had over fire since by process of elimination, Mirio had the Litten.

Maybe she insisted Mirio pick first, and then picked her own afterwards based on what he chose.

Tamaki closed his eyes.

He... **really** didn't like that sort of mentality. 

Never mind. 

"Rowlet, Leafage!"

Nejire barely managed to get her Pokemon to dodge the attack, but Tamaki simply followed it up with a scratch to get Rowlet closer and got in another Leafage, which of course, was extremely effective against a Water Type.

The Popplio instantly fainted when the move hit. 

. . . . . .

**_Just what was the level of their Pokemon?!_ **

Had they even healed up yet?! 

Tamaki's eyes twitched and he crossed his arms. 

There was no way the two actually trained up their Pokemon well enough. Popplio was slow to commands, but it could just be that it seemed extremely weak, probably from the previous fight. Which was extremely foolish. Why would they fight someone immediately after being weakened from the previous one?!

Did they even know about type advantages? Were they still just fighting with only their starters? Did they know about Pokemon Centers?

How did they even get pass Rock Lock, especially Mirio with his **FIRE TYPE** against a **ROCK TYPE** gym?! 

Tamaki sighed as Nejire recalled her fainted Pokemon back with a scowl. 

_Maybe he could...give them a few pointers....?_

"Y-You should...train up your Pokemon in battles..." Nejire and Mirio turned to him, and he flinched slightly before steadying himself once more to continue. "T-They'll get experience that way. Also, please visit the Pokemart and Pokemon Center." The last advice was practically a plead by that point and Tamaki simply waved and walked right into the Gym, legs already trembling and threatening to buckle from under him.

"I-I-I'm going ahead to battle. You two....do whatever." And he left with the two loudly protesting behind him.

Once he was finally behind the doors, Tamaki gave a huge sigh of relief and paused to just...take a breather.

That had definitely _not_ been a nice experience, between Nejire's antagonistic behaviour towards him and Mirio's total indifference to her attitude...

Mimikyu tilted its head up towards its Trainer and cooed softly, bumping its head under his chin while Rowlet nuzzled his cheek from its standing point on his shoulder. 

It took a moment, but Tamaki managed to regain his composure as he shook his head and slapped his cheeks firmly to snap himself out of his despairing mindset. He had to after all.

Deep breaths.

Just breathe.

Tamaki turned to the Gym Guide.

_"What can you tell me about Rock Lock's Gym?"_

"I see..."

Tamaki listened carefully to the Gym Guide's words and advice.

Rock Lock's Gym was well...a Rock Type Gym. That part was simple. But there were also trials he had to pass before getting to Rock Lock himself. 

Speaking of Rock Lock, this was another strange tradition on Yuuei that Tamaki read up to not be something other regions did.

_Codenames._

Rock Lock's real name was Takagi Ken. Everyone knew that. But in the Trainer world of Yuuei? It was always Rock Lock. 

Still though... 

"Anything in there?" He asked, peering into the trash can as Mimikyu popped its head back out and shook vigorously. The raven sighed. 

The trial was to fish through a bunch of bins scattered around the gym for keys to unlock the enormous door looming past the corridor. Three locks, three keys needed. And they had to fight any Trainer they ran into while racing through the gym. Some of them might give you clues to shorten your search, but mostly, you were left to figure it out on your own. 

Tamaki yelped as he almost tipped over the next bin in his efforts to lean over and triple check it to make sure it was empty. He wanted to groan and complain, but sucked it up and continued onwards. 

At least the bins were empty and not filled with trash... 

Eventually, Tamaki finally found all three keys after battling a bunch of Trainers that got in his way and stared up at the giant door locked up with padlocks and then back down at the keys in his hand.

The raven took a deep breath and looked down at his two Pokemon with a smile. "You two ready?" He asked. They nodded.

Tamaki took the keys in hand and unlocked the door.

The stadium was very wide with wooden walls enclosing the battlefield in. Tamaki looked down at his feet and-

"Eh?"

_Sand...?_

Indeed, under the raven's feet was a total dump of bright sand that made Tamaki raise an eyebrow in confusion, even as he made his way over to the center of the field where he could see a dark skinned, black haired man standing.

And his immediately response.

Was to **insult** Tamaki.

"Another kid? Jeez... I already had to deal with two of them earlier. You all love to just charge into situations without realizing what it means to-"

Tamaki's eyes widened and his teeth grinded together.

_What the hell...?_

He didn't even know this man, and he was already-

**_"Be quiet."_ **

Rock Lock looked up at the boy in front of him in shock, gazing at the way he held up his Pokeball with the most fearsome glare he could muster.

_**"Don't talk big when you're just the first Gym Leader."** _

Tamaki didn't want to play and have fun anymore. Not in this fight.

Rock Lock smirked and pulled out his own Pokeball.

This kid might be different from the cheerful and naive duo he fought before. 

Rock Lock's first Pokemon was a huge Onix that towered over the battlefield, almost touching the ceiling as it roared loudly. Tamaki in turn, released Rowlet and ran around the field to avoid the kick up of dust from such a giant Pokemon.

"Rowlet, use Leafage!" Tamaki cried and his Pokemon did so, its wings beat violently to send tornadoes of glowing green orbs flying towards the Onix. Rock Lock ordered his Pokemon to use Tackle and the raven gave a sharp gasp as it came down, slamming down into the field of sand and sending sand dust kicking up and blowing all throughout the battlefield.

Tamaki held out both his arms and shut his eyes tightly to block out the sand, trying to keep his footing.

_Damn..._

Even though Rowlet had the Type advantage, Onix could take a lot of hits as well as give out heavy ones. If Tamaki wasn't careful, he'd lose this match. The boy gritted his teeth together. "Stay calm. Think through this logically. How do I minimize damage?" He thought to himself.

Onix's massive size meant that it could swing its body and slam Rowlet to a wall or to the ground if Tamaki wasn't careful. On one hand, being up close and personal would allow Rowlet to more easily see the direction the Onix would swing and could dodge faster. However, if Rowlet _couldn't_ dodge a particular swing, the momentum brought on by gravity would make the slam do a lot more damage than if the Pokemon stayed back and attacked from a distance.

So the best tactic would be...

**_"Rowlet, fly up high! Higher than the Onix! Flap your wings as hard as you can!!"_ **

The Rowlet swished upwards, swinging back and forth from the wind created through the fight as it flew higher and higher, until it flew above Onix's crown. Tamaki got in another command for Leafage that hit as Rock Lock was forced to use mid to long ranged attacks.

"Damn... Onix, Rock Throw!" Large rock chunks began to form around the Pokemon as it gave a mighty roar once again that made Tamaki clasp his hands over his ears and winced. But he wasn't going to be beaten.

"Rowlet! Dive down! Fly through the sand dust!" The kicked up sand would make it harder for the Onix to see and aim properly, but only if Rowlet kept low. Tamaki had to be wary as well, diving out of the way of flying rocks that came his way by accident.

But it was enough.

One well aimed Razor Leaf to the Onix, and it went down with a heavy thump that shook the stadium.

One Pokemon down, one more to go.

Rock Lock called back the fainted Onix with a disgruntled expression, but without a moment's hesitation, he sent out his next and last Pokemon; Rockruff.

Tamaki winced slightly and his gaze flickered upwards to Rowlet, who was still flapping its wings rapidly. "Are you doing okay?" He asked, slightly out of breath from the adrenaline. The Pokemon gave a hoot of affirmation, making Tamaki smile in relief and turn back to the battle. "Good."

"Rockruff, Bite that pesky Pokemon!" Suddenly, the Rockruff gave a mighty leap that took both opposing Pokemon and Trainer off guard and landed. The Rockruff bit down harshly on Rowlet's wings as it fought to get it off. A surge of panic flared up within Tamaki before an idea landed in his head.

"Rowlet, fly up high as best you can!" The Pokemon obeyed and took to the sky despite its pain and as Tamaki had hoped, the Rockruff couldn't hold on and its jaw loosened enough for Rowlet to shake the Pokemon off and fall, the impact with the ground doing much more damage than what Tamaki had planned. He felt a little bad, but he had to keep going. "Now! Razor Leaf!"

Sharp leaves raced towards the Rockruff at breakneck speed and jabbed into its sides and stomach. One more.

_"Once more!!"_

And just like that.

The battle was over.

Tamaki gave a small cheer and patted Rowlet on the head in praise for its victory. 

Rock Lock had been incredibly haughty and scoffed at the child in front of him at the start of the battle. But now, he watched the way the exact same boy hugged his Pokemon close and pumped his arms in victory.

He saw the way his eyes narrowed and darted around, cogs in his head whirring at high speeds with strategies and eagerly ready to give out his commands, faithful and trusting that his Pokemon would follow. And they did.

_Impressive..._

"Congratulations. You have beaten me and earned the Lock Badge." The man watched Tamaki smile softly and ruffle Rowlet's head before accepting the badge. 

"And the TM Rock Slide. I didn't get to show you in that match earlier, but it causes a rock slide avalanche basically. It's like the move Surf, so be careful." He explained, watching the raven hold the TM in wonder and his nose scrunch up as he realized the Pokemon he had with him right now wouldn't be able to learn the TM.

Oh well. It was good to have one on him anyway.

And so, Tamaki walked away with a golden lock of a badge, tucked away in his specialized badge case. 

First Gym. 

**Completed!**

**\----------**

Tamaki gave a great sigh of relief when he finally came back out into fresh air. He had felt like there was a cord tightening around his brain when he battled Rock Lock, ready to snap at any second.

Thankfully, it never did, and now that he was out, the thread loosened a great deal. 

"That's one gym down everybody." Tamaki said, smiling as he scratched Rowlet under its feathery and fluffy belly and it crooned. Mimikyu seemed excited, and kept jumping around like a maniac. It was obviously really happy after their victory.

"Alright. To the next gym, but we're training you two up first! Ah. I should get more Pokeballs so I can fill out the Pokede-"

Tamaki's eyes widened when he looked over the lane. 

Mirio and Nejire. 

_"..........."_

It was only when he arrived on Route 5 that Tamaki finally stopped for a breather, his lungs and thighs burning from how fast he ran. 

He collapsed against a tree. 

_And began to sob._

His Mimikyu and Rowlet could do nothing but watch sadly and cuddle up to him for comfort as the boy broke down, shoulders heaving from the force of his cries. 

_They had been holding hands._

**_Mirio and Nejire had been holding hands._ **

No matter how hard Tamaki tried, the tears just couldn't stop and flowed past his fingers as he tried to press his hands into his eyes to make the water stop.

His mind felt foggy and he couldn't see or think and-

**_"Ribo?"_ **

Tamaki sniffed and looked up. 

At a yellow butterfly. 

The boy sniffled again, shaking his head frantically before looking again. Yep, that butterfly was still there. That had to be a Pokemon right? There was no way such a huge butterfly existed with eyes, a mouth and little hands like that. 

With wobbling fingers, Tamaki managed to hold up his Pokedex to the creature, who was still hovering there with an expression he couldn't decipher. 

**[Rimbombee; the Bee Fly Pokemon]**

Tamaki raised an eyebrow at the robotic voice. It was a bee? 

"Uhm.... Hi...." He waved sheepishly, voice still croaky from his sobs. Rowlet was flitting about and almost seemed to want to nip at the Ribombee's wings, who immediately recoiled back and slapped the Pokemon away with its tiny hands. 

The butterfly- _bee?_ Flitted over to Tamaki and grabbed onto a few strands of his hair.

And began to tug in one direction, as if trying to beckon Tamaki off to somewhere.

"Ahh...!! What are you doing?!" Tamaki squeaked pathetically, strolling through the Pokedex's entries on Ribombees.

He was just making sure this wasn't a case of a Driftloon or something that picks up children and floats them away like a freaking horror movie. 

But nothing. There were no records of terrifying Ribombees, just praises on how amazing their honey was. 

So Tamaki allowed himself to be tugged along with Mimikyu and Rowlet. 

_They arrived in a massive flower field._

It made sense that all the flowers were in bloom since it was spring, but it still made Tamaki's mouth drop open in amazement and his head spin with the heavy scent of flowers. 

There were Bug Pokemon everywhere, alongside the normal bees and butterflies of everyday life. They were all just minding their own business though and Tamaki could easily trek through without irritating one into battle. 

It was.... _calming._

Tamaki sighed in utter content and fell back against the grass, making petals and pollen fly about. He laughed. His Rowlet was rolling around and cooing happily and Mimikyu was jumping up and down, trying to catch the stray petals that flew about in the wind. 

_Peaceful._

For once, it was _peaceful._

Tamaki looked up at the Ribombee, who seemed satisfied now that the frown and tears had been swept off the boy's face. 

"Thank you... But... Why?"

The Ribombee almost seemed to shrug and did a loop around, wings fluttering. Tamaki chewed on his lips for a moment, considering his options before taking out a Pokeball. 

_"Would you um...like to come with me...?"_

The question was almost lost to the chatter of the insects and Bug Pokemon, but the Ribombee heard him loud and clear, even the frantic muttering the raven did afterwards. 

"Is a Ribombee strong in battle though? I don't think I've heard of many serious Trainers using them in battles. Then again, that's true for quite a lot of Bug Type Pokemon... Then again, Ribombee duals as a Fairy Type so maybe-"

Tamaki was cut off when Ribombee butted its head against the button of the Pokeball and whooshed inside, making Tamaki yelp at the suddenness and drop the Pokeball to the ground. 

Three shakes and a click. 

Tamaki blinked for a moment, mind slowly taking in the fact that he had just caught a Pokemon before scrambling to release the Pokeball and welcome their newest member with a soft smile. 

**_"Welcome to the team, Ribombee."_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this is my first attempt of describing Gym Battles in the format of the manga (not the anime because I never really watched Ash and whatever bullshit trouble he gets into), with how the Trainer can feel what's happening in the battlefield and can also get hurt. Attacks are based not just on whatever Pokemon do to each other, but also the environment. Like, if you're a Fire Type next to a river, it doesn't matter what type the opponent's Pokemon is if they can push you into the water.
> 
> Since Tamaki is just a 10 year old boy in this, he's going to go through a lot of emotional turmoil. That's why his emotions seem to fluctuate so much from trying to calm down, to being totally pissed off, to crying uncontrollably. Believe me, being 10 years old and dealing with emotions is not fun.
> 
> On another note, we now have a new Pokemon joining Tamaki's team! Ribombee!
> 
> You guys have no idea how strong this Pokemon is, especially in a dual fight. Holy fuck. I always LOVED using Ribombee at every chance I got.
> 
> I originally wanted Rock Lock to have Lycanroc as his other Pokemon, but then I realized he couldn't have a Level 25 Pokemon if he's the first damn gym. Rockruff evolves into Lycanroc around Level 25-ish. That's why.
> 
> Well, that's all I have to say for this chapter. Leave a kudo or a comment for me if you liked it! Bye!


	3. Bubble Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was nothing Tamaki wanted to think about than challenging Bubble Girl, the Abara City Gym Leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phewwww... I managed to get this chapter out! Finally!!
> 
> On another note, I GOT FAN ART Y'ALL CHECK IT OUT.
> 
> Thanks to @EG_Winter for this wonderful work! 
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/egirlwinter/art/Where-to-Next-839674345?ga_submit_new=10%3A1588040406
> 
> Anyway, happy reading!!

The next series of events were... _weird_ to say the least. 

Tamaki wanted to train up Ribombee. Just because it was a Bug Type didn't mean it couldn't fight after all. He met Nejire and Mirio along the way again, and this time they actually gave a bit of a fight with their fully healed and slightly larger number of Pokemon. 

Well, Nejire was the one with the slightly larger number of Pokemon. Mirio was still only travelling with his Litten for some reason. 

Nejire had caught an Emolga, and as his Rowlet was ineffective against it, Tamaki eventually switched out to Ribombee for some experience. 

And it did the most bizarre thing ever. 

Without Tamaki's instructions, it sprayed a strange mist over the Emolga and-

It fell. 

Asleep. 

_Sleeping Powder...?_

"Dear Arceus you know Sleeping Powder." Tamaki said, breathless and held his hand against his forehead in disbelief. 

How? How did a Ribombee know Sleeping Powder? Was it in a TM? HM? Did another Trainer teach it? 

Did it matter?! 

"Ribombee, use Absorb!"

And with that move, it was over and Tamaki sighed deeply in relief. 

Phew... 

Nejire cried out in defeat while Mirio looked on with an equally upset expression, even though he hadn't even participated. 

"Gaaah!! How was I suppose to fight when my Pokemon is asleep?!" She cried, rubbing her head furiously. 

Tamaki raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't you have any Awakenings?" His eye twitched when the only response he got in return was a blank stare. "Pokemart. Please tell me you went to a Pokemart." The same blank stare. 

Tamaki heaved a heavy sigh as if he was shouldering a humongous boulder and almost wanted to facepalm. 

"N-Never mind all that! We can figure it out later! L-Let's go, Mirio! B-Besides, you're the one who's got all the supplies, right?!"

And off Nejire was again, marching off -hopefully- in the direction of the Pokemon Center with all the finesse of a flailing duck. 

Tamaki sighed for the third time and turned around. Well, if they wanted to stay ignorant to the way the world worked, then so be it. He didn't want to give any more tips to- 

_"Wait!"_

Tamaki stopped. 

Mirio was still standing there, twiddling his fingers around as he fidgeted on the spot. Tamaki blinked in surprise. He'd never seen Mirio so anxious before in his life. He was always the excited, happy and well... _sunny_ one.

Now, he was shifting from one foot to another, glancing from his shoes to Tamaki over and over again as if this was the first time they'd talk. 

Then again, how many years had it been since they last had an actual conversation...?

Tamaki nearly snorted at the irony of the situation. He was supposed to be the nervous one. In fact, if Nejire had still been lingering around, that would be the exact way Tamaki would talk. 

But she wasn't. 

It was just him and Mirio. 

And he never stuttered when he was with Mirio.

Or at least... Not that much. 

Not in front of Mirio. 

"What is it?"

Mirio looked away. "I know Nejire said we didn't need the help but... Could you tell me at least? You know, as friends?" The blonde gave a tentative and wobbly smile.

Tamaki's fingers twitched. 

............

"....Fine."

So he told Mirio as much as he could, every second that passed feeling like it was sapping away more and more of his energy until the raven was slumping into himself. But he kept going. 

Type advantages, the Pokemart, status effects, Pokemon moves, HMs and TMs and every item he could name off the top of his head until Mirio was dizzy with information. 

"How do you remember all that?!" He exclaimed, sounding more surprised than anything. Tamaki blushed a little before shaking it off and shrugging. 

"You could just ask the professor on the PC in the Pokemon Center. He'll evaluate you and stuff, but if you need anything, he'll be there. As for me, I actually prepared." He replied.

Mirio nodded, but he seemed to droop slightly. Not in the gloomy way, but actually drooping. He was nodding off. Tamaki tilted his head at him. 

"Are you okay?"

"Mm? Ah yeah... I'm fine. I just feel really tired for some reason..." The sentence was punctuated by a loud yawn and Mirio rubbed his eyes, which only served to make Tamaki frown even more. 

"Pokemon Centers have rooms you can sleep in for a cheap price. If you can't pay, you can always just ask the locals for help. They're very nice." Mirio nodded at the suggestions, but Tamaki couldn't tell if it was because he was listening and responding or because he was nodding off. 

Either way, he just wandered off, almost in a haze as the two boys went their separate ways. 

However... 

Tamaki looked down at the Ribombee, who was doing loops of happiness after its victory in deep thought. 

_"I wonder..."_

The raven shook his head. 

He'd think about it after he defeated the next Gym Leader. 

**\----------**

Tamaki looked down at his Rowlet snuggled in his arms, to his Mimikyu waddling behind him, to his Ribombee fluttering close by and hummed. 

Bubble Girl was the next Gym Leader in Abara City. She wasn't a member of Yuuei's Elite Four, but she was someone to be feared. Apparently, she had a reputation for putting Trainers through brutal trials before challenging her. 

"Well, I've got three fighters, don't I?" Tamaki giggled, listening to his Pokemon chirp beside him and Mimikyu gave a huge leap to land on his shoulder. He didn't flinch or comment and continued to walk as if it was nothing. 

That's right. 

He'd be strong.

If only for them. 

Eventually, after a lot of walking and battling with other Trainers, Tamaki finally made it to Abara City. He had met a lot of Pokemon along the way, but he didn't try to fight them unless they attacked first and he couldn't escape and generally, if they didn't want to be caught, Tamaki wouldn't try to catch them. 

However, there was one Pokemon he really wanted to catch if offered the chance... 

Tamaki groaned and shook the conflict out of his mind. He shouldn't think about something that might not even happen. 

On another note, Ribombee and Rowlet were leveling up nicely. Since Tamaki had Mimikyu for longer, he had more time to train it than his other two Pokemon, so Mimikyu was nearly ten levels above Rowlet when he started his Pokemon journey. 

However, thanks to Rock Lock and his gym battle, Rowlet was finally getting more experience, and Ribombee was doing remarkably well too with its Sleeping Powder and its status as a Bug Type, a fast leveling Pokemon. 

Tamaki read the pristine white sign decorated with pearls and carvings of waves. Abara city.

He was here.

Abara city was a small city beside the ocean, the smell of sea salt constantly permeating its air as Tamaki walked around. The sound of waves crashing against the harbour was a regular sound, its roar a comfort to the residents. Lots of shops sold sea-themed items ranging from fishing equipment to renting yachts. There was even diving gear and little tourist spots at the beach.

The water scared Tamaki to a certain extent, which made sense.

After all....

**_He didn't know how to swim._ **

Tamaki went into the Pokemart to stock up on supplies. He briefly raised an eyebrow when he noticed that the store sold **Burn Heals** of all things. 

They were right by the ocean though... 

Ah whatever. 

However, as soon as he stepped out of the Pokemart, he heard a loud shout and looked up just in time to see someone shove past him and make a break down the street. 

_"THIEEEEF!!!!"_

Immediately, Tamaki's hands raised up to command his Pokemon to go after the man-

"Stufful! Use Tackle!!" The next thing he knew, a new Pokemon was headbutting the stranger right in the stomach with a loud "Wham!" And they immediately collapsed over in pain. Tamaki blinked down at the supposed thief and then looked back up to see all too familiar blonde locks and blue eyes looking at his Stufful. 

"M-Mirio-"

"Aaah!! Thank you so much!!" Tamaki turned around to see a young woman with blue hair and eyes, wearing a marine blue tank top and short denim jeans that barely clung to her hips. Parts of her waist were exposed and flapped in the wind as she practically bounced over to the children in her brown boots.

Tamaki politely looked away.

She stopped in front of them, heaving slightly from exertion as she rested her hands on her knees and panted. "I've been chasing that thief forever! Thanks for stopping him..." Suddenly, she was shouting. "Police! Over here!" Tamaki looked over to where the woman was waving and saw a couple of policemen actually running over, all looking equally exhausted as the woman had been. 

They quickly arrested the thief and left for the police station, leaving the woman, Mirio and Tamaki _-who was feeling very out of place-_ standing there. 

"Thank you again. Your Stufful is pretty strong, huh?" The woman complimented, eyes fixed on the blonde. "My name's Awata Kaoruko!" At Mirio's clueless face and Tamaki's widened eyes, Kaoruko sighed and scratched the back of her head.

"Well, you'd know me better as Bubble Girl; Gym Leader of this city."

Mirio stood there, stunned, before pointing at her in utter shock, the realization of who he just helped finally registering in his head. 

**"EHHHHHHH!?!?!?!?!"**

Nejire joined the two of them at some point, but simply budged up to Mirio and chatted to him. Tamaki supposed it was better that way since before her, they'd been locked into an awkward silence with nothing to say to each other. 

Bubble Girl heard about how they were all Trainers wanting to challenge her and suggested that they come after her one after the other. That way, she could just stay in her Gym for longer and not waste time by going in and out, as well as keep up the adrenaline that she would get in a battle. Now, the three children were just sitting in the lobby, discussing what they should do.

Well, two of them were. Tamaki was more preoccupied with plucking a few stray feathers from Rowlet's body as it sat in his lap, crooning in delight at the preening. 

"Soooo... Rock paper scissors for who goes first?" Nejire asked. Tamaki blinked at her before boldly shaking his head, making the two of them look at him. He flinched. 

"W-What....Pokemon do you t-two have...?" He asked, twiddling his fingers. The two looked at each other for a moment before Nejire took out her Pokeballs and released the Pokemon inside for all to see. 

Nejire had her Popplio _-still unevolved-_ , her Emolga, and a new Pokemon.

A Ducklett.

It was waddling around, looking over its surroundings in faint interest before going back to its Trainer. 

Tamaki looked over at Mirio, whose shoulders suddenly rose up slightly at the raven's intense gaze on him and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah... I guess it's my turn now, huh?"

He threw out his Pokemon and Tamaki looked down at the Litten, the Stufful he saw from earlier and.... 

**_A Pikachu._ **

Tamaki's eyes widened. 

_What...?_

_"Ohhhh... Well I like all kinds of Pokemon! But everyone always only talks about Pikachu..."_

_............_

_Why....?_

Tamaki turned away. 

"W-Well... It s-seems we all have Pokemon with a T-Type Advantage against B-Bubble Girl...." Especially Nejire. An Electric Type **AND** a Flying Type. She was pretty much guaranteed to win this fight. 

"Why'd you want us to show our Pokemon anyway?" Mirio asked, tilting his head curiously at Tamaki, who flinched slightly. His eyes held no suspicion or judgement. He genuinely just wanted to hear what he had to say for himself. 

............

Tamaki opened his mouth. 

_"Wait- Were you trying to scope out your competition without having to battle us?!"_

Tamaki flinched. 

And slowly turned to face Nejire.

Who had an angry, accusatory expression on her face. 

But Tamaki could see it. 

The way her eyes darted frantically back and forth from Mirio to Tamaki in a panicked frenzy, as if this was some kind of life or death situation. 

_"............"_

_Tamaki shut his mouth._

Nejire gave a triumphant noise when she realized the raven wasn't going to talk anymore and grabbed Mirio's arm, pulling him away.

"See?! I was right! I'll go first, then you, okay Mirio? We don't have to stay around a cheater!"

Tamaki jolted.

No.

No he wasn't-

"I-I'm not-"

But she was already pulling him through the doors. 

".........."

'No....'

_He should have spoken up._

'I wasn't trying to do anything....'

_He should have said something._

'If one of us didn't have a good set of Pokemon to face against Bubble Girl...'

_But he didn't._

'We could've arranged our order so that anyone who didn't have a good Pokemon Type Advantage could borrow a Pokemon from either of us to fight against Bubble Girl.'

_All for the sake of a girl who didn't care about him._

............

Tamaki gave an empty laugh and held his face in his hands.

_**"....I'm such a coward...."** _

**\----------**

The trial wasn't as hard as what the rumours made it out to be. 

It was just a huge water puzzle where you had to hold your breath as you whooshed up and down the water elevator and water slides. 

Maybe it was the whole aspect of solving a puzzle while holding your breath that made people think it was a very brutal and troublesome trial. Not to mention there were Trainers scattered around the area, ready to fight you before you could use another slide or elevator. 

But Tamaki never found any part of the trial to be difficult at all. 

Maybe it was because he was numb to the burn in his lungs as he held his breath. 

Maybe the relief that his dried tear tracks and red rimmed eyes could be explained off with the water consumed his panic over having to breathe. 

Or maybe he was just that smart, being able to breeze through the entire puzzle with barely a second thought. 

Tamaki finally made it and retrieved his dry clothes from the clothing shoot that followed him the whole way around and he changed out of his given swimming trunks. 

His head was still numbed out. 

Until his Ribombee pulled at his ears. 

"A-Aaaah-!! That hurts-! S-Stop it!" The raven yelped and tried to pull away, but the Ribombee only tugged harder on its end and forced Tamaki to follow after it. Just like the first time they met. 

Ribombee pulled Tamaki along into a darkened corner of the gym before frantically fluttering around him like a mother. The actions made Tamaki's lips quiver and tighten together. 

_And he laughed._

It was a pathetic, scratchy and wheezy laugh full of self-depreciation and woe. 

A Pokemon.

A **POKEMON** had been more motherly than his actual mother had ever been to him.

_But...._

The laughter died away.

Tamaki found himself completely fine with that realization.

He didn't care.

It took him a few moments to calm down and the raven shook his head, bangs swinging about his head wildly.

If his Pokemon cared so much about him, then he couldn't afford to make them worry more than they already did.

"Alright. No time to be sad anymore." He said. He'd already cried about three times on that day alone. "Time to be serious." Tamaki slapped both his cheeks to snap himself back to reality.

Right.

He had to focus on the upcoming battle. He shouldn't let his emotions overtake him. His Pokemon were relying on him after all.

He inhaled deeply, feeling the way his lungs expanded and held in the air, and then released it all out, leaning forward slightly. Breathing exercises. He could do this.

He could do this.

His Pokemon lit up when their Trainer got up, the dark clouds swirling in his eyes fading away, if only for the time being.

**\----------**

Bubble Girl was patting a Horsea when Tamaki entered, and he did a slight double-take at where the woman was standing.

It was an arena, just like Rock Lock's gym. However, instead of sand, there was a shallow pit.

_Filled with water._

The raven took off his shoes and socks and set to work rolling up his pants. Bubble Girl asked if he wanted to just change back into his swimming shorts, but Tamaki found it to be a hassle to change back after he just got back into his normal clothes, so he refused. If he got wet during the fight, he could just dry off in the sun or wash up in one of the rooms provided by the Pokemon Center. It was getting late anyway.

He stepped tentatively into the water and a shiver ran up his spine. The water went just above his ankles, but it was very cold and the tiles were smooth under his soles. He'd have to be careful if he didn't want to slip too much.

"Are you ready kid?" Bubble Girl asked, demeanor turning serious as she readied for battle, the Horsea jumping off her lap. It seemed she was actually going to fight with the Pokemon.

Tamaki kicked around in the water and looked down at his Pokemon, thinking over what strategy he should use.

In the end, he simply nodded back at the girl and took out his own Pokeball.

_"Let's go."_

Bubble Girl started out with a Wartortle and it immediately sent out a Water Pulse the moment Tamaki threw out his Ribombee. It squeaked when the jet of heavy soundwaves hit and nearly fluttered to the water covered ground before re-orientating itself and taking to the skies.

The raven had gritted his teeth when the attack landed, but sighed out in relief when his Ribombee seemed alright. Time for the offense. "Ribombee, use Absorb!" Get its health back! The attack was successful, but Tamaki nearly fell backwards when the Wartortle jumped up and grabbed onto the legs of the Ribombee, bringing it down in a slam straight into the water.

_"Crap...."_

Water might not fatally affect Bug Type Pokemon but...

Ribombee stood up, only to flit and splash back into the water.

Ribombee's wings were totally soaked in water...!

_"Craaaap...."_

"Wartortle, use Aqua Tail!" Bubble Girl's shout snapped Tamaki out of his panic and he hissed under his breath as the attack hit, his Ribombee whining as it tried to get up again. 

Think....

Think think think think....

"Rowlet, come on out!" 

The moment his other Pokemon came out, Tamaki ordered it to pull off a Leafage as he ran over, practically slipping over in his haste and scooped up his Ribombee. "Rowlet! Stay close to me! Flap your wings!" He ordered, tucking Ribombee closer to his body and trying to wipe some of the dewy water from its wings with his shirt. Rowlet did as Tamaki said and stayed close, flinging Razor Leaf after Razor Leaf at the Wartortle, who was dodging remarkably well. The raven let out a string of muttered curses under his breath, mind scrambling.

If Bubble Girl's Wartortle was dodging this way, it probably meant it had high speed. Alright then.

**"Rowlet, Peck its head!"**

Attacking at its head was the best option Tamaki could think of for the moment. Wartortle wouldn't be able to dodge a direct move that drilled on its head, especially since Rowlet had the grip of a gecko to a wall. Tamaki knew from experience.

His strategy worked remarkably well as Wartortle struggled and growled to try and get the Pokemon off its head, shaking its head wildly and attempting to slam Rowlet to the water filled ground. However, the Owl Pokemon truly clung on for dear life and refused to let go, pecking furiously at any point its beak could reach. 

Bubble Girl was standing, completely dumbfounded by the sight in front of her before shaking her head to snap herself out of her shock. "Use Rapid Spin!"

Oh dear.

Tamaki couldn't brace himself when his Rowlet squawked and launched towards him when the Wartortle tucked in and began spinning rapidly. He fell with an "Oof!", falling onto his butt in the water. Tamaki cringed. Well there went any hopes of getting out of this match with dry clothing.

But.

Tamaki's mouth curled up into a grin.

**_"Ribombee, use Absorb!"_ **

Bubble Girl's eyes widened in surprise and her head whipped upwards to see the Ribombee she thought had fallen, fluttering there with a huge charge of green energy manifesting larger and larger into that familiar orb.

And threw it directly at the Wartortle.

The attack was a critical hit, knocking out the Wartortle as the force from the move launched the water outwards in huge waves. Tamaki wasted no time and called Ribombee back, sighing in relief that his surprise attack had been successful. 

He knew beforehand, through some research and confirming his information with the professor, that Bubble Girl's strongest Pokemon was her **_Horsea_**. This was due to the rumours spreading around that she wanted it to evolve into a Kingdra.

In other words, Tamaki knew he needed his strongest game when he would inevitably face down against that Pokemon.

That was why he started with a simple Bug Pokemon and was so determined to prevail with it before recalling it back when he was sure Bubble Girl would only have that Horsea left while he was still going strong with Rowlet and his Ribombee that he was ready to call out to do the finishing blow if the Owl Pokemon failed. 

The water dampening Ribombee's wings had been a bit of a rough bump to get past, but using Rowlet's wings to fan away the water and wiping away the droplets with his own clothes did the trick and Tamaki was able to get Ribombee back into the air again for a sneak attack. 

"Horsea, go!" And there it was. 

Tamaki's smile grew wider. "Rowlet, use Leafage!" He shouted. The Horsea had no time to dodge or counter as it just came out in a daze, the attack hitting it right on as Bubble Girl yelped.

The blue haired girl hummed as she watched Tamaki's movements. The boy could think quickly on his feet and had interesting and out of the box strategies. He was unique and took no shame in using the basic strategies of Type advantages, even altering it to a slightly different strategy of Type **moves** ; using moves that were effective against the opponent Pokemon even though the Pokemon you were using wasn't of that Type. 

But...

_"I won't be beaten that easily! Horsea, use **Blizzard**!"_

Tamaki's eyes widened. "Wh-"

With just a light flap of the Horsea's side fins and a toot of its nose, Tamaki felt a sharp chill run throughout his body and suddenly, a blast of cold slammed right into the raven as he winced and shivered. Rowlet hooted in pain as its wings flailed clumsily, trying to regain its balance as the frigid air blew through the arena. Tamaki felt his knees buckle, his whole body shivering from the combination of the icy winds and the fact that he was already drenched in water from before.

Tamaki swore a little under his breath as his teeth chattered.

_He hadn't expected the Horsea to know an Ice Type move...!_

"Rowlet, stay strong!" That was the only thing he could pray for. If worse really did come down to worse, the raven would have to rely on Mimikyu, which would **really** be dangling on the edge.

Rowlet's movements were sluggish and it spluttered from its crashed spot in the water.

And then it got up with a furious hoot and began flapping its wings in a frantic mantra, much to Bubble Girl's astonishment and Tamaki's confusion.

Rowlet's entire body began to glow until it was enveloped in a bright light.

Tamaki gasped.

_N-No way...!_

Without even another moment's delay, Tamaki threw up his Pokedex, getting the camera to scan over the cloaked Pokemon.

**_[R̵̷̷̶̴̹̓ö̷̷̸̵̸̷̵̶̶̶͉̭̱́͛̕ͅw̸̸̴̸̸̴̶̴̸̶̸̥̲̮̆̔̿́̐l̵̴̷̶̴̴̴̸̸̷̨͇̟̤̈́͂͠ Dartrix. The Blade Quill Pokemon.]_ **

The Pokemon was still covered in white light, even as its frame sprouted magnificent wings and took to the skies, water spraying off its body with little resistance as the Pokedex continued to speak. Tamaki gazed at it in awe before a wide grin took over his face and he swiped his hands.

_"Dartrix, you heard it!"_

A flurry of bright, spear like shapes lunged themselves at the Horsea, who couldn't even blink before they had embedded themselves into it as it squeaked in pain. Bubble Girl blinked back to reality from the shocking display and she gaped. "Wha-"

The light finally dispersed from the Pokemon, much like the water droplets had fallen from its frame, revealing the newly evolved Dartrix in all its glory.

Tamaki wanted to holler in delight.

His Rowlet had evolved for Arceus's sake!!

Which also meant...

"Barrage it with your feathers! Don't let the Blizzard get to you!" Tamaki yelled out, the Dartrix following his commands to a T, shooting off dozens of more blade quills that neither Trainer nor Gym Leader knew were coming from until the Horsea came down with a heavy thump and splash of the water.

Tamaki fell to his knees and gave a long and deep exhale of utter exhaustion, no longer caring of the water soaking into his shirt and pants. His Pokemon waddled over to him and gave a soft hoot, nudging at its Trainer. He gave a small smile before suddenly wobbling and tipping, as if all his strength had been abruptly sapped away.

Tamaki completely collapsed over, wracked with shivers.

_"O-Oh no- **Amajiki**!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that sure was a sudden ending, don'tcha think! Buut it'll make sense after I explain it in the next chapter. Yes there will be an explanation in the next chapter but I won't disclose it here. I'll give you a hint though. Time actually moves here and Tamaki's been walking, training, fighting and battling the whole journey through.
> 
> Yeah, I think most of y'all will get a general idea of what's happened.
> 
> On another note, 'Abara' is the name of Bubble Girl's creator! Abara Chiita! 
> 
> Also, it's canonically proven in the manga that some Pokemon can learn moves that aren't supposed to be there in its Game Data. That's why I wrote that Ribombee can use Sleeping Powder, even though ingame, Ribombees don't learn Sleeping Powder. It's a Grass Type move anyway so it should work.
> 
> In case you were wondering why Tamaki was so confused as to why Mirio had a Pikachu, it's because Mirio made his displeasure about Pikachus very clear from day one. It's not that he thinks Pikachus are a bad Pokemon, but so much publicity and fame has been given to it that EVERYONE wants a Pikachu and he doesn't like all this stereotyping around it. That's why Tamaki's so shocked as to why Mirio, a person who complaining about the stereotypes, is being a hypocrite. Of course, that too, will be explained, but all in due time.
> 
> Aaaand I think that's all I have to explain for now. If you enjoyed this, please do leave a vote and a kudo, they are greatly appreciated! I'll see you all later!


	4. Kojin Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tamaki's adventure continues into the darkness of Kojin Cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really gotta make a schedule for my updates haha....
> 
> Well, enjoy!

The first thing Tamaki noticed when he woke up was how bright the room he was in was and winced, shutting his eyes back again with a groan. 

"Ah, you're finally awake." The raven recognized that voice and peered upwards to see Ms Chiyo looking down at him with a disapproving expression. If she was here, then that meant...

"Am I in the Pokemon Center?" He asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position. His head spun slightly at the movement, but eventually settled as Tamaki gazed at his surroundings.

The room he was in was almost completely blank; white tiles, white ceiling, white walls and even the bed sheets were all white. The only splashes of colour were the brown of the wooden bedside desk and the green plant sat atop it. Ms Chiyu was also a healthy dose of brightness to an otherwise bleak room, but she was looking at Tamaki with concern and displeasure.

Not good. 

Yuuei wasn't a very developed region, not really. It wasn't as technologically advanced as the Galar region, and there weren't very many skyrise concrete buildings or efficient transportation like the Kalos region. However, they ensured that there would at least be a healthcare and education system to build upon once the region found more fundings through tourism and the like.

As a result, the Pokemon Centers of every city also functioned as a small hospital or clinic for any injured or sick people like Tamaki.

The raven rubbed his eyes and ruffled a hand through his hair as he tried to recall what happened.

He was battling against Bubble Girl, and then....

"Oh."

_He'd fainted._

Tamaki inhaled deeply and let out just as big a sigh. "How long have I been out?" He asked, turning to Ms Chiyo, who was still looking at him with a disapproving gaze.

"Just a day, darling." She answered before shaking her head. Well, at least there was that.

"Amajiki, correct me if I'm wrong," Ms Chiyo spoke suddenly, making Tamaki jerk her head up in curiosity. "But the last I saw of you was in Rokku City. Imagine my surprise that, on the very same day, Kaoruko came bursting through my doors with you unconscious in her arms." She finished. Tamaki sighed, knowing where this was going as he picked on the strings of his blanket.

"Amajiki, have you been running around two **entire** cities, battling non-stop and even challenging their Gym Leaders, for an entire _day?"_

Tamaki kept quiet.

"Amajiki, your reports state you are mildly anemic. Are you aware of this?"

His silence spoke volumes, but Tamaki refused to look up, even when Ms Chiyu sighed again.

"Amajiki, you know you are not supposed to push yourself."

The nurse sighed and shook her head, knowing how her words wouldn't reach Tamaki anymore, not when he was being so stubborn and keeping silent the way he was.

"Anyway, please make sure to take frequent breaks from now on and eat nutritious meals rich with iron. Here." Ms Chiyu gave her advice and plopped a blue gummy into Tamaki's hand before filing away a report and walking out of the room, but not before remembering something.

"Oh, your Pokemon are on the desk; fully healed and taken care of. A doctor will come in to do a check over you later, just to make sure nothing else is wrong, and then you'll be discharged." She said before finally opening the door and leaving.

Finally left to his own thoughts, Tamaki sighed and slumped back, head thumping heavily on the headboard behind him as he closed his eyes in exhaustion.

He wasn't too worried about medical bills as he could always just forward it to his parents. They'd pay no questions asked, not even concerned as to why Tamaki had been in a hospital in the first place. The raven preferred it that way.

Even though Tamaki was lost in his thoughts, he still reached out and took the Pokeballs off the desk, releasing the Pokemon inside almost absentmindedly. True to Ms Chiyu's words, his Pokemon were all inside.

And they all lunged at his face.

Tamaki spluttered slightly in surprise, not prepared for how his Pokemon crooned and yapped in his face as they nuzzled on any inch of his skin they could get, flustered and worried to high heavens for their Trainer.

"Okay okay- I'm sorry for what happened, alright? I'm sorry for worrying you all." Tamaki said between light giggles at the feathers and paws tickling his skin as he pulled his Pokemon into a better position that he could hug them properly.

The four of them stayed that way for a long time as Tamaki got to work changing Mimikyuu's costume _-with his eyes tightly shut-_ , patting off dust and excess pollen from Ribombee's wings and celebrating his Rowlet's _-Dartrix's-_ evolution. 

"I have a lot of money now, so let's go eat something good after this, alright?" He suggested. His Pokemon all cried and hopped in agreement and excitement.

True to Ms Chiyu's words, a few minutes later, a doctor came in to do a quick assessment and Tamaki was given his discharge approval, bills all sent to his parents' account. 

The boy walked out of the Pokemon Center, stretching his hands above his head as he inhaled the salty sea air. His Pokemon were fluttering and running around, happy to be out of their Pokeball and back into the open air like their Trainer was.

Tamaki didn't waste much time after being discharged before heading to the Abara City Gym to collect his Gym Badge from a flustered Bubble Girl, who kept asking about his health.

The raven appreciated the concern, but he quickly became annoyed with it, so the woman was hasty to present to him the Abara City Gym badge; the Bubble Badge. A cyan badge with three circles right next to each other, meant to represent three floating bubbles. 

But that wasn't all.

He was also presented with another TM; Blizzard. The move he saw her Horsea use that nearly ended it all.

"It's a pretty powerful move, and once you train yourself to be able to withstand the cold, nothing can stop you." She said. The raven had simply nodded along and thanked her, inwardly sighing at the fact that he wouldn't be able to use the TM for any of his Pokemon for the moment.

Tamaki walked out of the Gym and flipped his badge case open. He nestled the little badge right where it belonged and shut the case with an air of finality before taking a deep breath.

He did it.

They had a bit of a bump with him fainting and all but...

Second Gym.

**Completed!**

**\----------**

Tamaki didn't leave the city right away after getting his new Gym badge. Instead, he called up the professor on his Ribombee, and the progress of his Pokedex in the Pokemon Center. 

"Ribombees can sense the moisture in the air. They don't like rain and cold places as it prevents them from producing their honey and pollen puffs, so they're never in one place for too long and mostly stay in hiding. You're lucky to have seen a whole colony of them!" Tamaki shrugged at the Professor's words, but he did ask some questions of his own. 

One, could a Ribombee learn Sleeping Powder? In theory, yes. Ribombees, while being Bug and Fairy Type, could learn Grass Type moves. In practice though, it seemed very difficult. Their ongoing theory was that since the components of Sleeping Powder were different to what a Ribombee was used to making in their Pollen, it would take a lot more time and effort for it to learn the move. 

Thankfully though, it seemed Tamaki didn't need to do any legwork with his particular Ribombee.

_Lucky...._

Two, does Sleeping Powder affect people? It wasn't supposed to. Why?

Tamaki hung up after that. 

The dark haired boy looked down at his Ribombee in faint curiosity. 

Should he really test it out...?

Tamaki shook his head furiously, getting that thought out of his head. He shouldn't mess with people like that. If it came down to it, he'd just test it on himself at night in one of the inns. 

The four of them had the big lunch, just as Tamaki had promised, before stocking up on supplies and preparing to leave the City.

The boy pulled out the map the professor gave him and left Abara City, heading off to train on one of the new Routes. 

Well, that was what he was planning... 

_"Aaaah!! Wait, excuse me-!"_

Tamaki turned around to see Bubble Girl-

No.

Ms Kaoruko.

They weren't battling anymore.

Ms Kaoruko was running towards him like a Gyrados was chasing her and skidded to a stop a few inches away from the raven.

"Ms Kaoruko." Tamaki said. "What can I do for you?"

The woman took a moment to catch her breath before pulling out a medium sized parcel from her satchel and handing it to Tamaki.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but could you deliver this to Yochi City? I would do it myself, but I'm going through a lot right now with running the Gym, and there's just been a major problem. Some reports of men in black harassing the residents here are spreading and I have to tend to that matter and-"

The blue haired woman stuttered through her words, trying to find solid footing for herself as she tried to explain her problem to the small boy.

Tamaki blinked.

Yochi City was about three towns away. If Tamaki had to run all the way over there immediately, it would take, at the very least, a week. This was due to the fact that to even get to the next City, people had to pass through a deep cave. There was no way around it, but from what Tamaki heard, there was a transportation system in the works. What it was, he had no idea, but the thought was nice.

The raven sighed and chewed at his bottom lip, wondering what he should answer, when Ms Kaoruko answered for him.

"Don't worry about a deadline or anything! I'll send him a message about you, so you'll be okay!" She said, flailing her arms around. Tamaki still didn't quite understand, so he tilted his head at her and raised an eyebrow, his Pokemon mimicking his actions.

"Who is receiving this package?" He asked. Ms Kaoruko spluttered and nodded, seemingly realizing her mistake at not mentioning who the recipient was. Her voice came out as a small mutter, almost like she was worried someone might be listening. Tamaki could almost see the chill run down her spine.

"A-Ah-! His name is Sasaki Mirai."

Tamaki's eyes flickered.

_"Also known as Sir Nighteye; the Psychic Type Gym Leader."_

Tamaki walked down the road with his Pokemon by his side, the invisible burden on his shoulders weighing more than it actually was.

Or maybe it was the package in his backpack.

Tamaki sighed deeply.

In the end, he hadn't been able to say no to Ms Kaoruko's harmless request and took the parcel into his care.

The boy honestly wanted to cry as he felt new pressure over this new responsibility. 

Tamaki groaned as his head tilted upwards in exasperation.

'Why'd I take such a troublesome task....' He thought to himself as he walked. At least his Pokemon were around to comfort him during his walk....

They'd have to find a suitable spot for camping soon, as the raven knew he wouldn't be able to get to the next city before sundown and sleep in an inn.

Tamaki looked over his map as he weaved down lanes, and then...

**_"Tamaki!!!"_ **

Tamaki froze on the spot.

In front of him were Mirio and Nejire, the former waving his hands around frantically as he grabbed the raven's attention.

_As if there was anything else to look at._

"You took quite some time, huh?" Mirio ran up to Tamaki, whose fingers twitched ever so slightly on the straps of his backpack as his Pokemon growled loudly.

Dartrix's feathers were ruffled and fluffed up to make it seem bigger and more imposing. Mimikyu was staring directly at the blonde, almost as if its gaze pierced right through its costume, tail raised high in warning. Ribombee hovered dangerously close, wings beating erratically as it stared Mirio and Nejire down.

The blue haired girl wisely backed off, sending Tamaki suspicious glances. Not that the raven noticed.

_Not when Mirio was standing so close._

"What took you? You have a grass Type, so you should've had no problem, right?" Mirio jabbed a thumb at Dartrix, who hissed at him and tried to peck at his finger. He pulled away.

Tamaki stared down into Mirio's blue eyes, unwavering.

After a moment or two, it seemed to get to the blonde, as he shifted on the spot awkwardly.

_"Um... Tamaki...?"_

Tamaki just continued to look at him.

And then his eyes drifted over to Nejire and he stared at her.

She had that frantic look about her once again, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she didn't seem to be able to calm down.

**_So she could see it._ **

The way that Mirio gave Tamaki's complete and undivided attention the instant he saw him coming along.

_"............"_

And then....

_He walked past him._

Tamaki walked right past Mirio and Nejire, continuing down the route to the forest and ignoring their cries of confusion. Or rather, _Mirio's_ cry of confusion.

But Tamaki fought through the intense knot in his stomach and kept marching on until he knew he was out of view.

He knew what Nejire felt. He knew what she was trying to do. He knew what she wanted and how much she wanted it. 

But he wasn't that invested in what she felt.

_He just....._

**_Didn't want to hurt anymore._ **

And if being around the two of them hurt him, and would eventually hurt Mirio, then...

Tamaki's lips tightened.

_"............"_

**\----------**

True to Tamaki's earlier assumption, he made strong progression through the forest, but had to eventually stop for rest.

Most Trainers would rather **not** camp out in dark spooky woods, but Tamaki knew he would be relatively safe, so long as he didn't bother the Pokemon living there and had enough resources to keep himself stable.

The raven was currently stirring a ladle through the stew cooking away in his small cooking pot, his Pokemon doing their own thing as they stayed in Tamaki's general line of sight.

Surprisingly, most regions didn't do this kind of thing, as the routes between cities had enough settlements in between for Trainers to stay the night in. As far as he knew, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Galar were the only regions that had camping as a frequent thing that occurred. All the other regions were more advanced in terms of faster transportation or specific settlements for passing Trainers. Hell, _Galar_ only did it because it was fun.

Tamaki sighed at his thoughts and poked at his crackling campfire with a stick. Development was a good thing most of the time, even a necessity in its early stages, but he couldn't help but wonder if he would miss the simplicity of camping out in the quiet wilderness once advancement took over.

"Mimikyu! Kyu!" Tamaki perked up at the sound of his Mimikyu's cries and turned his head over to see all three of his Pokemon gazing off into the distance. He looked up at where they were looking, but all he could see were the endless numbers of trees and the darkness stretching beyond. The raven raised an eyebrow at his Pokemon, but didn't question it and turned back. But he did call out to them.

"Hey! The food's ready! Come here to get your fill, and it's rude to stare, you know!" He spoke up. His Pokemon all perked up at that and rushed over, chirping and jumping excitedly as Tamaki laughed and struggled to get their portions into bowls. "Yes yes, here's your food..."

In the end, Tamaki ate peacefully with his Pokemon until everyone was full and the leftovers were saved for tomorrow and they all went to sleep, swaddled up in the raven's black camping bag.

Tamaki was already asleep when black claws scraped along the grass and crept up towards the sleeping boy. His Pokemon, on the other hand, all woke up and stared up at their new visitor.

They didn't hiss at the stranger, but they all kept their eyes trained on it, just like how its beady red eyes were on Tamaki himself.

_............._

_It turned around and wandered back into the dark of the forest, disappearing into the shadows._

Tamaki groaned and turned as he woke up, stirred by an insistent tugging sensation on his head. He forced his eyes open before sitting up, startling his Pokemon as Dartrix and Ribombee scrambled away. The raven glared at them before huffing.

Well, at least he knew who were the culprits to the ache in the roots of his hair.

Mimikyu was still snoring away, the head on its costume drooping downwards as it slept.

Tamaki smiled and went to work heating up the stew and giving out portions to his Pokemon before nudging Mimikyu awake.

They all ate their fill, packed up the camping equipment, and went on. 

The raven, though he didn't like it, took more frequent breaks as per Ms Chiyo's orders, and it took him one more day before arriving at the aforementioned cave that he was dreading going into.

Kojin Cave, home to millions of different kinds of precious stones, and Pokemon. It was a hunting ground for miners mining the precious stones and Trainers looking to catch new Pokemon alike. Its sheer underground size made for impressive caverns, but Tamaki also knew how notorious it was for getting people lost and trapped and needed to be rescued.

"Luckily, I have flying Pokemon and Escape Ropes to spare..." Tamaki mumbled. Indeed, he had stocked himself silly back in Abara City, and had even bought those disgusting smelling Repels just to keep the wild bloodsuckers and giant, violent rock Pokemon at bay. He knew it wasn't their fault, it was their nature, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do everything he could to keep himself safe.

Oh, and a giant flashlight with loads of batteries for it.

That was important too.

Thus, with a deep breath and heavy puff of his chest, Tamaki charged right into the cave with his Pokemon following closely behind.

**\----------**

"Aaaah... To know this cave is dark is one thing, but truly experiencing it is a whole other situation..." Tamaki mumbled as he trudged through the cave, his flashlight weighing heavily in his hand. 

The raven knew there were Pokemon out there that knew the move 'Flash'; a move that could brighten up the entire cave as if they were outside, but he didn't have that and had no plans on catching a Pokemon purely for those requirements.

_'Well... Mirio has that Pikachu with him, so he should be fine if he asks the professor for that TM...'_

Tamaki shook his head furiously.

Stop.

**_Don't think about that._ **

Of course, Tamaki had gotten that TM for himself, but none of his Pokemon could learn Flash, so he just kept it in his pockets. 

He also knew that parts of the cave were illuminated by the precious minerals and were so bright that a flashlight wasn't even needed. 

Unfortunately, that wasn't where Tamaki found himself.

"You'd think they'd set up some lanterns and discernible paths in here..." He muttered, his three Pokeballs jiggling by his belt. Tamaki had been fearful at the thought of his Pokemon getting lost, so he tucked them away for the time being as he made his way around. He also sprayed Repel on himself, so that was another incentive to put his Pokemon away as, despite knowing they'd follow him, Tamaki knew they wouldn't like the scent.

Best to spare them that torture.

Aside from that, Tamaki could feel his anxiety skyrocket through his stomach as he ventured further into the darkness of the cave.

It was just so _dark_...and the eerie silence was only interrupted by rocks falling around, either from Tamaki kicking stones away in his path or just the general rumble of wild Pokemon running around, and the chitter of other wild Pokemon in the area. 

_However..._

_Tamaki noticed something as he ventured deeper into the caverns._

_And that was how **quiet** it was getting._

As he walked further and further into the cave, he noticed how the chitter chatter and frequent tells of moving Pokemon gradually got less and less.

_............_

Tamaki's eyes narrowed, and his grasp around his flashlight tightened. 

Like all caves, there were other people lingering about that either challenged Tamaki to a battle or were there for other reasons, and the raven could talk to them. 

According to most talk, something strange was going on in Shibo City, the next place Tamaki was headed to.

Apparently, there had been reports of strange men in dark clothing standing around the City and the routes surrounding it, almost like bodyguards.

Tamaki's eyes widened at those words and he listened with interest, nodding along every so often to indicate he was paying attention. 

_Strange men in dark clothing...._

Tamaki's mind flashed back to the words Ms Kaoruko said to him before he left Abara City.

**_"-Some reports of men in black harassing the residents here are spreading-"_ **

_"............."_

_It couldn't be...._

The raven shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts before continuing down the path, beads of sweat trickling from his brow as the humidity of the cave finally caught up to him.

Until-

_"-ol... Sol..."_

Tamaki blinked.

And let out a gasp before scrambling forward with a stumble towards the sound of metal clanking and a Pokemon whimpering.

He nearly skidded right into a cliff and screeched to a halt right before he could fall over. The raven let out a brief sigh of relief and knelt down, flashing his flashlight over the edge.

It was a Solrock.

_With one of its rocky edges caught up in a clamp trap._

Without any further hesitation, Tamaki edged his way down the steep, stony cliff and hurried to the struggling Pokemon.

The fact that he was running right towards a panicked and unpredictable Psychic Pokemon didn't seem to register in Tamaki's mind.

The only thing echoing in his mind was the fact that there was a Pokemon stuck in a painful and **ILLEGAL** trap.

"Hold on... Hold on...." Tamaki struggled to get closer to the flailing Solrock, and had even more trouble trying to pry the trap apart. He whimpered as his palms scratched against the sharp metal and turned a painful red, and eventually decided to release all three of his Pokemon. 

_"Everyone, pull apart the trap!"_

With all four of their efforts, Tamaki and his Pokemon were all able to force the trap apart and the raven hastily kicked the trap as far away as he could, listening to it clanking away into the darkness.

And then he felt himself being lifted up by an indescribable force. 

Tamaki looked up towards the Solrock, and despite its empty eyes, he could somehow feel the _rage_ radiating from it, its body glowing pink, just like the aura surrounding Tamaki that was lifting him up.

Uh oh.

The raven tried hard not to let his breath hitch, or struggle. Any sudden movements might send the Solrock into a frenzy. Instead, he just held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender while speaking in a soft voice.

"It's okay... I'm sorry I scared you... We'll leave you alone if you could just..." He made a small gesture to himself.

But then, Tamaki noticed something on the Solrock out of the corner of his eye.

The corner tip of its body that had been caught up in the trap had cracked, dangling by a hair to the main body.

_'It's hurt....'_

Meanwhile, Tamaki's Pokemon were all chittering rapidly, as if trying to convey their emotions and intentions to the startled Solrock.

The Sun meteorite Pokemon stared down at the raven, who also refused to back down from the Pokemon and stared right back at it, waiting for its judgement.

...............

After a long and tense moment, the Solrock finally lowered Tamaki back down to the ground and released its Psychic powers over him. The raven let out a small sigh of relief as his Pokemon crowded around him in concern, but it wasn't over yet.

Tamaki rustled through his backpack for a Potion and walked over to the Solrock.

At first, it was hesitant and floated away from the boy, but eventually, when it noticed the harmless spray bottle in his hands, it came closer and allowed Tamaki to spray a bit of it over its cracked chunk. The raven watched with baited breath, and his shoulders slumped down in relief as he watched the wound knit itself back together.

"This is bad though..." Tamaki muttered, his eyes drifting over to the tossed away trap in the distance as he stuffed the used Potion back into his bag. 

_Someone_ had laid that trap, and who knew how many more were set up elsewhere in such a huge cave....

'I guess I could make a report at the police station in the next City.' Tamaki figured to himself, finally strapping his bag back on his shoulder and gesturing his Pokemon to follow him. "Alright everyone, let's move out! We still have ground to cover, and no one's tired, right?" He shouted.

His Datrix chirped and settled back on Tamaki's head, while Ribombee fluttered close by and Mimikyu landed itself in the raven's arms. He patted it on the head for a moment before walking away.

He should've realized it as he walked, but nobody could blame Tamaki for not really noticing it.

He was being followed by the Solrock he helped.

Of course, the raven hadn't noticed it at first since the Pokemon was basically **FLOATING** after him. There were no sounds of footsteps to be heard. 

In fact, the only indication that Tamaki was being followed was his Pokemon constantly looking back every now and then to make eye contact with the Solrock. 

Eventually though, Tamaki _did_ notice the Solrock following him and turned back to stare at it.

...........

"...Do you....want to come with me...?"

The Pokemon didn't react, and only continued to stare at Tamaki with its empty squinted eyes painted on its face.

Experimentally, the raven took out a Pokeball and held it up to the Psychic Pokemon.

_It backed away._

Tamaki tucked the Pokeball away.

"Alright then." He spoke with a firm nod. "You can follow us like that, and help us if you'd like. You don't have to listen to me, or feel obligated to stay. As long as you keep yourself safe, I'll be fine with it."

And that was how Tamaki gained a new Pokemon... _Sort of._

**\----------**

"Beautiful...."

It took quite a while for Tamaki to finally arrive at the brighter portion of the cave, with the shiny stones that illuminated the area and showed the way. 

It also meant it wouldn't be much further until he got to the exit.

Good.

Because Tamaki was running out of water.

He'd already spent almost two days in the caves...

'I really have to get out of here quickly.' He thought, brushing a hand along the cold stone walls as he hopped his way along.

The Solrock he had befriended continued to follow him throughout his journey, even helping him along sometimes, like lifting him across large ravines and gaps he couldn't cross over normally or lifting boulders out of the way for them.

"And anyway... After this whole thing is over, I'm definitely going to do something about this cave. Or at the very least, get someone **ELSE** to handle it." Tamaki grumbled to himself. The cave was far too dangerous than what should be allowed. No wonder people got lost and trapped so often. It was basically a gigantic hazard!

_'Seriously, who the hell implemented such a stupid system?!'_

"Haaah... I can finally turn this thing off..." Tamaki sighed in relief as he thumped down heavily to the ground and leaned against the cooling stone wall. The raven was utterly exhausted as he refused to stop once he got the first sign of the artificial lights, and ran himself ragged clambering over. Now though, he could finally rest and practically dozed off on the spot.

God the cave was so treacherous.

At least it was an effective workout technique...

Tamaki was fully intending to rest his head, and maybe feed his Pokemon a few treats before tucking in for the day and making the final trek out of the cave once they were refreshed and ready.

However....

_"Why does the boss need all these things anyway?"_

_"Our job is to take them, not question the boss's decisions. Unless you think you're-"_

_"No! Jeez, you always find any excuse to jump to that fucking conclusion..."_

".............."

Tamaki peered from his hiding spot behind a stalagmite at the two men talking.

**Two men wearing black-**

The raven's eyes drifted away from the two men and-

He let out an almost silent gasp and slapped his hands over his mouth in a panic as he ducked down in terror.

But the two men didn't notice anything.

_"............"_

_Tamaki grasped a Pokeball tightly in his belt._

Pokemon in cages, big and small.

_He unhooked it off and allowed it to enlarge._

Some were obviously forcibly shoved in with no regards to the size of the cage they were put in.

_He silently clicked the Pokeball open._

Almost all wounded with their body parts cracked or wings torn from obvious struggles with traps.

_Unforgivable...._

_Absolutely..._

**_Unforgivable...!!_ **

_"Ribombee, use Sleeping Powder."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if you guys can figure out which City Tamaki is heading off to thanks to the name of the cave, because they're connected!
> 
> And yes! We finally get to see more of the strange Pokemon that's clearly following Tamaki around! I wonder what it could be! Leave your guesses in the comments below!
> 
> Okay, so there's not much to say about this chapter apart from a few things.
> 
> For one thing, yes Tamaki in this story is mildly anemic. It has to do with my idea of making him not very physically strong, but you should never cross him, because his sense of strategy and thinking far outweighs his physical abilities. But it's a bit of an obstacle because he has to actually rely more on his Pokemon than others.
> 
> There's also the matter of why Tamaki just...walked away when he saw Mirio and Nejire. The details of his thought process will be explained eventually, but all I can say is that Tamaki is very VERY selfless if it has to do with Mirio. He'll give up anything for him, even if he KNOWS that he himself will be hurt by making that decision.
> 
> Yes, Pokemon traps are an actual thing in the Pokemon manga, and a bit of the game and anime. Although, this bear trap-isque version is obviously a bit of a stretch, which I've justified by saying that it's supposed to be illegal. And yes, Potions can knit injuries like a cracked body part back together easily and you can't change my mind on the weird physics of it. That shit is straight up MAGIC.
> 
> Okay, moving on to Tamaki's Pokemon. 
> 
> Ribombee is literally one of the most OP Bug Pokemons I've seen to date, and that's mostly because of the Fairy Type duality. THIS THING CAN FACE OFF AGAINST A MASSIVE DRAGON TYPE AND *WIN*. So I'm obviously going to make Tamaki's Ribombee a little more special with its Sleeping Powder being able to affect humans. If you're wondering how Tamaki knew about this, it's because MIRIO got tired after Ribombee used its move during their little fight in Abara City. 
> 
> Also, the game kinda bullshits me with its whole thing where you need Flash to get through caves. Like bro. Flashlights are a thing? And also because I needed an explanation since Tamaki doesn't have any Pokemon right now on his team that can actually learn Flash. And he doesn't like to have TM Slaves. God I forgot those were a thing since I always make do with one move that's a bit useless. (Ngl tho, Flash has saved my ass God knows how many times.)
> 
> Also, I believe all the mangas basically have camping scenes, but the earlier regions have them more than others since they're, well, less developed then. Since they were in the earlier generations, technology wasn't that advanced and so camping was more common and the regions that came after -apart from Galar- didn't have that problem since advancement was far enough that there were cheap motels, inns and whatnot more close by. That's my explanation for it anyway.
> 
> Uhhh.... And I think that's all I have to say for the time being! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Show the love with a kudo and a comment below! Bye!!!


	5. Solrock and Lunatone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tamaki accidentally gains two new Pokemon, and another trip to a familiar place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I am so tired....
> 
> First exams is over. Three more to go and I'm finally returning to school next week.
> 
> Wish me luck for my dive to hell.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this!

Tamaki hurried through the labyrinths of paths in the caves, panting and heaving. His shirt was drenched with sweat from the humidity of the cave and how much the raven had exerted himself. 

He battled.

He battled more furiously than he had ever battled before.

He fought past goon after goon that got in his way.

In that moment, he couldn't have been more grateful for stocking up on so many healing items, even as he kept apologizing to his Pokemon for putting them through so many battles. 

Tamaki himself though, couldn't have been more afraid for his own life.

These people had _weapons._

Actual, **live** weapons. 

Bats, guns, and knives.

It scared Tamaki until he was frozen stiff.

But he had to persevere.

However, for all his determination, Tamaki was still just a ten year old boy who had collapsed just a few days ago. He couldn't keep running around the cave like a maniac forever.

He eventually got tired and had to rest against one of the humongous stalagmites, gasping and panting from the exertion like a dying animal. His body sucked up air greedily, lungs and thighs burning from the strain as he gulped down his water from the container on his backpack to regain his energy and soothe his dry throat. 

'I can't stay put for too long.' Tamaki thought to himself, wiping a few droplets of water from his lips.

Sleeping Powder would eventually wear off, and then those men would come for him.

Tamaki remembered the two men he saw initially and shuddered violently at the memory before he actually managed to shake the gripping feeling of terror from his head. He had been quick to free the Pokemon from their cages, but found a checklist a little distance away that told of more Pokemon being captured further down the caverns.

Which was why he was here now.

Tamaki scurried to put his things back into his backpack and set off again.

However, before he did, he paused. 

The raven pulled out his Pokeballs and released his other Pokemon. He had kept them all safely tucked away in their Pokeball whenever he could so he could sneak around and also just for that extra assurance of their safety, but a thought came into his mind that made him release them. 

"Are you all doing alright?" He asked first and foremost. All three of them nodded, even Ribombee despite it having exerted the most effort from launching off so many Sleeping Powders. Tamaki nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. Good. Listen, I need you all to do something really important, okay? Listen closely..."

_"If anything happens to me, grab your Pokeballs by any means necessary. Attack like crazy, break everything in your path, whatever. Just... Do not. And I mean, **DO NOT.** Let those men get ahold of your Pokeballs. Grab them, and make a run for it. Don't worry about me."_

The Pokemon, except for Solrock who didn't have a Pokeball, all squeaked and cried in protest before Tamaki scrambled to shush them, looking around with wide eyes and heart nearly stopping at the idea of being caught. Thankfully, it seemed they were alone.

Tamaki's gaze turned grave and he turned his head to all of his Pokemon.

**_"Promise me. Promise me you will run."_ **

The Pokemon whimpered and gave their own sad noises, but one more glance at their Trainer's expression had them all chirping or nodding in hesitant agreement.

The moment they gave their affirmations, Tamaki's shoulders slumped down in relief and when he opened his eyes again, there was a more determined glint in them.

_"Let's go."_

Tamaki ducked past more guards, always listening closely for the chittering noises of Pokemon. Eventually, he came to a large and hollowed part of the cavern that had been clearly dug out by human hands. There were still a bunch of jagged ends, especially in the ceiling of the cave.

Tamaki cringed as he gazed at it.

_It looked like it could collapse at any second..._

He looked back into the cave and-

Several iron cages, all containing various cave Pokemon. 

Not just Zubats, but also Geodudes, Machops and more. 

Tamaki inhaled sharply. 

_Dear Arceus...._

"This is so cruel..."

The boy surged forward without a moment's delay and inspected the locks on the massive cages. He ordered his other Pokemon to get to work unlocking the other cages while he fiddled with a particularly big one filled to the brim with panicked Zubats and a much more complicated lock. 

Mimikyu used its shadowy hands to whack the bolts on the locks right off, Dartrix used its beak to pull the latch open and Ribombee simply used its hands to pull and fiddle with the locks. None of them struggled much, to Tamaki's relief and pleasure that he could count on them. 

The raven refocused his attention to his lock, struggling to pick it open with his lockpick and slowly becoming more desperate and panicked the longer it remained locked shut. 

"Come on... Come on...!" He whispered, jamming the lockpick furiously until-

***Click!***

"Yes!"

_"And what do you think you're doing?"_

Tamaki froze. 

He didn't have to turn around to know who that was. 

.........

The raven's hands crawled forward onto the cool metal of the bars. 

And yanked the bolt open. 

Immediately, all the Zubats flew out in a flurry as Tamaki ducked down and covered his head, his eyes shutting tightly as he couldn't take the sight.

The freed Pokemon practically stampeded over the grunts as they scurried away, and Tamaki felt himself being pulled away as well into a small crack in the wall. He tucked his knees in and clapped his hands over his mouth to keep silent. He truly had to stifle his whimpers as the men managed to get back up on their feet and began looking around, clearly searching for the raven. He hurried to call his Pokemon back, whispering thanks as they went.

But there was one he couldn't call back.

Tamaki ear's pricked up and he peeked out a crack in his hiding hole outside, and let out a sharp gasp.

The Solrock that kept following him was hiding behind some stalactites. It had yet to be spotted by anyone except Tamaki, but the raven couldn't help but curse under his breath.

_Crap- This was bad-!_

Tamaki knew he couldn't do anything though, and stayed silent in his hiding hole from fear, especially after hearing the two men loading up their pistols.

"You idiots!! Go round up the Pokemon! And find that meddlesome brat! He's going to ruin everything at this rate!!"

The shorter one growled under his breath and whacked the bigger one in his fury. 

"How could you let someone so small get away, you buffoon?! If he gets out, he'll prattle to the police and the boss will have our heads!!" He hissed. The bigger one growled under his breath and took a Pokeball from his belt.

"Shaddup will ya?! You're so damn annoying, Mimic! You want me to find the brat, I'll fucking find it!"

The two continued their bickering, but Tamaki was much more focused on the Pokemon the bigger man had released. 

A Mightyena.

_Uh oh._

Tamaki's breath hitched as the Mightyena began sniffing around, clearly searching for the other boy. His shoulders rose higher and higher as it came closer and closer to the corner he was in. 

No...

God no.

If it found him....

Tamaki squeezed his eyes shut, hands pressed so strongly against his mouth that he could feel his nails leaving marks into his cheeks.

Until....

_"Bosses!"_

The raven twitched slightly from his nerves as the Mightyena perked up and turned away due to the interruption. The two men in black looked to the grunt in question, who had a Pokeball in his hands.

**_"I caught the Lunatone!"_ **

The smaller one seemed elated at that, and began bouncing up and down.

"Wonderful! Perfect! You know how rare those Rock and Psychic Types are down here. If all goes well, we'll have caught that Solrock that escaped us from earlier!"

Two things happened in that instance.

One, Tamaki's eyes widened in realization as it dawned on him that the Solrock with him was not only extremely rare, but had already encountered these men before.

And two, the Solrock came out from behind its hiding place, charging up a deadly Flare Blitz as it spun around rapidly.

_"Don't-!"_

But his call came too late as the Solrock launched off its deathly fire attack right into the three men's face.

"Mightyena, Protect!"

Tamaki cursed at the call as he leaped out of his hiding place and released all three of his Pokemon.

"Mimikyu, Shadow Ball! Dartrix, Scratch and Peck and help Ribombee whip up a sandstorm with your wings!" He cried as he stumbled to his feet.

This was bad.

This was really bad.

There was no way those two would let him off so easily, of that Tamaki knew. He was a witness after all, and they'd do anything to make sure he kept quiet.

But that wasn't what was on Tamaki's mind.

It was the fact that if he didn't do something, the Solrock would be caught by them. 

He needed to hide it...!

Tamaki's Pokemon did their bidding as his Mimikyu let off a Shadow Ball right as the Protect wore off, making the Mightyena let out a howl as it landed while the other two Pokemon dived in and began flapping their wings like crazy while chipping away at the Pokemon's health.

The two men were distracted while the third grunt had been struck by the attack full force and was sent flying off, his Pokeball rolling away from him.

_Right towards a large canyon._

"Crap!" Tamaki ran right over to the Pokeball.

But he realized too late that he was going too fast.

He grabbed the Pokeball, but found he couldn't stop in time.

_And skidded right off the edge._

Time seemed to slow down as Tamaki's feet left the ground.

He knew he should've been horrified at the fact that he was no longer on solid ground.

But all he could see was the Solrock flying right towards him.

And even though its expression was completely still and unchanging....

Tamaki felt as though he could feel its panic despite that.

Hide.

How could he hide the Solrock and keep it safe, at least until his own Pokemon could grab it and run away, like they had promised?

How?

Think.

Think...

A solution came into the raven's mind right as he felt himself dip below the ledge. 

..........

Tamaki unbuckled an empty Pokeball from his belt.

_And threw it right at the Solrock._

Time began to move again, and Tamaki felt the burst of wind that blew past him as his fall accelerated.

He let out a hoarse scream.

Shit...

**Shit!**

Think think think...!!

His fingers curled tighter around the Pokeball and his eyes widened.

Tamaki pressed down on the button and released the Pokemon. As it began to manifest, he immediately grabbed hold of any part of it that he could. 

"I'm sorry, but please, bear with me for just this moment!" He shouted over the howling wind of the canyon he was falling into. "Please understand!"

_Please!_

Irinaka Joi, otherwise known as Mimic, was having a far from good day.

Firstly, their boss stuck him with the task of rounding up all the Pokemon from the Kojin Cave for some reason.

Every. Single. One.

Not only was the cave massive with dangerous cliffs and ravines, but it was completely pitch black. He knew it would take forever to round up as many Pokemon as he could within such a deep cave, but to make matters worse, he had to work with Rappa of all people. The most irritating idiot to ever exist, who thought only with his fists and not with his head and didn't appreciate any Arceus damn thing about their leader's objectives and determination. He was a damn disgrace to organization was what he was!

So needless to say, Irinaka was more than mildly irritated.

The day only got worse when somehow, something made the two of them pass out, and by the time they came to, there were whirlwinds of reports about some ten year old brat running around beating the ever living hell out of the grunts and freeing the Pokemon they had worked so damn hard to capture.

The same boy who fell off a cliff, but not before knocking away a priceless Pokemon, and having the other disappear somehow. Oh, and there was also the infuriating three Pokemon left behind by him who barraged the two of them with attack after attack.

Irinaka let out an angry shriek and threw out his own Pokemon, a Muk flying out with a groan and a disgusting squelch as it landed. The stench made his face scrunch up, but that wasn't the point. "Muk, use Sludge!" 

The Pokemon threw a purple blob right in the Dartrix's direction, who squawked and flapped its wings, attempting to dodge its attack, but before it could hit...

**_"Lunatone, use Psyshock!"_ **

A huge blast of pure energy rocketed right into the sludge, knocking it away as the Pokemon fled, undamaged. 

Mimic and Rappa both turned their heads over to the ravine, where the attack had come from, and stared.

It was that irritating dark haired boy, with his indigo eyes and narrowed expression. He was grabbing onto the Lunatone as it lifted him back to solid ground. He swiped his hands, shouting orders the second he realized his presence had been noticed.

"Use Rock Throw! Mimikyu, boost it with Shadow Ball!"

The two Pokemon didn't hesitate to execute those orders while Rappa and Mimic were barely able to reign in their shock and scrambled to command their Pokemon,

While Mimic was burning with fury, Rappa was burning with excitement.

"Hell yeah! Let's battle until this cave is filled with our blood and sweat!" He practically screamed. The younger boy remained undeterred and only narrowed his eyesfurther. The excited man launched out his other Pokemon, his ace, A Machoke. Mimic screamed.

**"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!"**

At that, the raven finally did flinch as Mimic and Rappa began a shouting match with each other.

His eyes only widened when the former drew out a gun, and he barely managed to duck before a bang rang out and a bullet whizzed right past his ear. The boy squeaked. 

"Who gives a fuck about pride or whatever you think is right, you fucking lunatic?! We do this for Overhaul, for Team Hassaikai! You understand me, you empty brained shit?!" Mimic was practically screaming himself raw as the younger boy recalled his Pokemon.

And began to fly away with the Lunatone.

Damn it!

"We can't let him escape, you understand me?! He's a fucking witness! We kill him **NOW**!"

Tamaki let out a rainbow of curse words only known to a ten year old under his breath as Lunatone whizzed around the cave and his eyes darted all around the floor. 

Where was it? Where was it? Come on come on....

He spotted a lone Pokeball sitting by the floor and gasped.

He practically dangled right off the hook of the Lunatone as he bent down and scooped the Pokeball up, safe and sound, as another bullet embedded itself into a nearby crack.

"Eep!"

_That was way too close!_

'These guys are serious...!' Tamaki thought to himself, almost tearing up at the thought. 

They're out to kill. They're willing to spill blood.

_Was he going to die...?_

Tamaki shook his head.

No way.

There's no way he would let that happen!

But how...?

His hands drifted down to his belt, and he stared at one Pokemon in particular. 

He grabbed it and pressed down on the button.

"Solrock, strike the rocks down! Lunatone, crush their weapons with Psychic!" Lunatone followed through with the command swiftly, eyes glowing for a moment before a visible crack was heard and Mimic dropped his weapon with a gasp as it snapped in half, completely and utterly destroyed.

Solrock on the other hand, charged up its power, all eight of its points glowing and releasing beams that contracted into a single concentrated orb right in front of it. 

It was too late that Tamaki realized.

"Wait- That's too strong-!" 

Solrock released the blast.

_Right into the top of the cave._

The raven practically jumped at Lunatone and yelled out: "FLY FLY FLY!!" Before forcing Solrock back into its Pokeball and making a mad dash as the ceiling began to shake and crumble, the two enemies left behind shouting in panic and confusion.

The cave rattled and groaned, and began to crumble down from the blast.

Huge chunks of rocks began to crash to the ground, alongside stalactites, and Tamaki was already praying to Arceus that no one would be caught up and seriously injured by the cave in.

The raven refused to look back as the Lunatone continued to zip past the ravines and cliffs as if they were nothing. The dust and rubble was barely visible from the corners of Tamaki's eyes as they flew by, but he refused to stop and continued to pat the sides of the Pokemon, urging it to keep going. 

But he knew they couldn't go forever.

There was only so much Psychic power one Pokemon could muster with a weight of a ten year old on its back. Not to mention it probably exhausted a lot of energy from God knows what before Tamaki found it.

So when they came to a particularly large wall, the Lunatone just couldn't float up as much as it needed to, and slumped down, curving over and making Tamaki fall off its back. 

And letting him see the crumbling walls coming right towards them.

He was done for....

He reached into his belts and released every single one of his Pokemons.

_"Go! Get out of here now!"_

All his Pokemons whimpered and shuffled, obviously unwilling to run off. But the raven continued to shove them away as the collapse came closer and closer.

"Go! Run now!"

The rumbling became deafening, and the raven couldn't take it anymore and clapped his hands over his ears, praying his Pokemon finally got the hint and run away. 

Tamaki shut his eyes.

He didn't notice the Lunatone mustering up its strength to summon up several stacks of rocks as pillars between the shivering boy.

And then the walls came down.

_......._

_.............._

_Dark._

_It was so dark._

_Pokemon...._

_Were his Pokemon okay...?_

_......_

_It was hard to breathe._

_It hurt._

_What was hurting?_

_Why was he hurting?_

_What about Lunatone?_

_It was exhausted._

_Did it manage to get away with the power it had left?_

_He could hear the sound of scratching and tiny pebbles crumbling away._

_What was going on?_

_More scratching, and he found it easier to breathe, as if the fresh air was finally able to find an opening to rush into._

_There was more of that tapping noise, and the crumbling of rocks._

_But he couldn't move._

_He couldn't see._

_Were his eyes closed?_

_He tried to open them._

_Nothing happened._

_So tired..._

_Why wasn't his body moving...?_

_Why did he feel so tired...?_

_Something was tugging at his sleeve._

_He could feel hot breathing against his hand as it was being lifted up._

_And then his body was being dragged along the ground._

_It wasn't painful. Not really._

_Or maybe he was too numb to feel it...?_

_The breathing above quickened, huffing and puffing as it dragged him along._

_Somehow, he didn't feel scared._

_In fact..._

_He felt safe..._

_He wanted to see..._

_With tremendous effort, much like whatever was pulling him, he tried hard to pull his eyes open._

_They cracked open slightly._

**_White fur. Midnight black claws. Blood red eyes._ **

_Safe...._

_The breathing left his arm as he felt his arm being gently put back down on the ground and the air cooled it down._

_The tapping and scrapping of claws, slowly growing softer and softer until he couldn't hear it anymore._

.....

...........

"Over here! Hey!! There's someone here!"

"What?! Get the paramedics! Quickly now!!"

**\----------**

When Tamaki came to, it was slow, like sticky molasses. He knew he wasn't fully in his mind, but he couldn't really bring himself to actually completely check in.

Until....

_"Tamaki! Tamaki!!!"_

His consciousness slammed into him so hard, it made him dizzy as if he had actually physically knocked against something.

Oh God....

He'd recognize that voice anywhere...

Tamaki turned his head and drooped as he saw blonde hair and blue eyes filled with worry and shining with...tears...?

**_"Mirio...."_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably not my favourite one. My brain's just really burned out, so it's quite short. I still tried to put effort, but I think it's kinda rushed. Idk.
> 
> You guys have no idea how difficult it actually was to write genuine threats like guns and weapons and stuff into Pokemon since it's POKEMON. The games are always, beat the villain's Pokemon, they retreat. But from my memory, I'm pretty fucking sure the Pokemon manga had genuine 'oh shit' threats. Not to mention the whole thing with Pokemon capable of actual serious harm like Driftloon and Yveltal. Like JESUS CHRIST. Not to mention the injuries and physical harm that can come to the Trainers that I've incorporated into this story. So yeah. It's a doozy. But I tried my best.
> 
> Also, I genuinely don't know how to write Rappa and Mimic, so I just went with 'Bakugou and Kirishima fusion but way more unstable' for the former and 'screams for days' for the latter. 
> 
> In case you're wondering, Tamaki threw the Pokeball and made Solrock get caught because according to the Wiki, Solrock literally shines like the sun, so he's a homing beacon. By stowing it away in the Pokeball, it would be more difficult for the villain team to find it since they'll have to look for a tiny Pokeball instead of a giant sun rock. And it'd also be easier for Tamaki's own Pokemon to grab the tiny Pokeball and run off with it. So yeah.
> 
> Btw, Lunatone and Solrock are the only Ground/Psychic type, and they ARE actually relatively rare, so that's why Team Hassaikai were trying so hard to get them. They're awesome.
> 
> Also, I wrote Tamaki as genuinely have a flaw. His care about Pokemon is good, but it's also bad. I wonder if you guys can figure out the big problem and how devastating it could be for Tamaki. Hehehehe....
> 
> Anyway yeah. Updates will be slow as I'm going back to school and I'll still have three exams to get past. But I'll try to make time to write and hopefully plan to do shit.
> 
> If you enjoyed this chpater, go ahead and leave a comment! They're super appreciated! Kudos for this work are as well! See you!


	6. Shibo City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A beautiful bond formed through a gift given, and an introduction to Shibo City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooo wee and I'm back baby!!
> 
> Exams are almost over so I'll FINALLY be able to get back to updating!!!

When Tamaki muttered those words out, the blonde's face practically lit up like fireworks and he immediately spat out a flurry of words that made the raven dizzy, worsening his pounding headache. Mirio seemed to notice his pain and shut his mouth.

"O-Oh-! Right, you're awake," He suddenly remembered, getting off his chair and running out of the room. "I have to tell Ms Chiyo! Stay there!" And with that, Mirio slammed the door shut, the noise rattling in Tamaki's ears, making him wince and slump back down on his bed.

Tamaki focused on his breathing, trying to clear his head from its incessant pounding. 

Focus. One thing at a time.

His body was aching, but it wasn't too severe, at least not to his standards. The room he was in was completely white, and seemed familiar. It was very quiet. 

Right... He'd been in Kojin Cave. And then he heard-

Ah.

That means he was back in the Pokemon Centre....

_Ms Chiyo was going to have his head._

And right at that moment, the door burst open again. Tamaki winced once more at the noise before a sharp _'thwack!'_ sound replaced it.

"Foolish boy! Don't run around slamming doors and making a racket for the patients!" Ms Chiyo scolded, thwacking Mirio in the legs a second time as the boy yelped and tried to shuffle his feet to get away from the old lady's cane strikes. 

"Ack-! I'm sorry! Sorry!"

"And don't yell in the hospital either!"

Finally, after hissing at Mirio and reprimanding him to the point where he bowed his head, Ms Chiyo finally turned to face Tamaki, who was trying to stifle his soft giggles, sitting up in his hospital bed and let out a truly exasperated sigh. The raven stopped giggling and flinched at her gaze.

"Honestly... You're here far too often." She said, hobbling over to Tamaki. "I would hit you, but you already have a head injury I need to check on and I don't think anyone in this room wants to add to that." The nurse then proceeded to scan over the raven's injuries, performing tests like shining a torchlight in his eyes or getting him to follow her finger to ensure he was truly alright and that nothing else was wrong with him. 

"Apart from a few bruises and scratches, you seem to be fully healed." Ms Chiyo muttered out, getting out her clipboard to write some notes while the two ten year olds hovered by. "I'll be able to release you by today. Come to me immediately if you feel like anything's wrong." Tamaki breathed out a sigh of relief at that. 

For as many times as he'd ended up here, he didn't exactly _want_ to stay in the Pokemon Centre for longer than needed.

"I'll be prescribing you some medication." Ms Chiyo spoke up. At that, Mirio lifted his head up and glanced back and forth from the nurse to Tamaki in confusion. The raven sighed internally.

_Why'd she have to say it in front of him..._

"Tamaki has mild anemia." Ms Chiyo explained as she found Mirio's confusion and tried to quell the rising panic in his eyes. "I'll be prescribing him some medicine so he doesn't collapse from exhaustion as he did in Abara City. I'd rather not see him again for as long as possible." 

Mirio gave Tamaki a look.

Tamaki avoided his eyes.

With that, Ms Chiyo left the room the room and the two boys.

There was a long stretch of silence.

Tamaki continued to look away from what he presumed to be Mirio's scrutinizing gaze, choosing to look out the window instead.

But eventually, one of them had to crack.

"My..." Tamaki bit his lip, wincing at his hoarse voice but continuing anyway.

_"My Pokemon... Are they alright...?"_

Mirio blinked for a few moments before the question finally clicked and he started up. "A-Ah yeah! Your Pokemon are alright! They were all crowding around you and being reaaally loud! And none of them would go into their Pokeball!" The blonde was starting to babble, but Tamaki welcomed the noise, closing his eyes.

Until the door slammed open.

Tamaki cracked one eye open to see who it was. And did a doubletake.

The man standing at the door was well-built, with broad shoulders and a decent stature. He had curled up blonde hair and dark eyes covered up by a black mask. The hoodie he wore was yellow, with very telling words and symbols on them.

"Fatgum."

Mirio looked back at his friend with a gawk, whereas the man in the doorway let out a boisterous laugh and fully entered the room. 

"Guess I'm more famous than I thought I was!" He said, still continuing to laugh until he finally introduced himself.

**_"That's right! Toyomitsu Taishiro here! But you know me better as Fatgum! The Fighting Type Gym Leader!"_ **

Fatgum _-Taishiro as he told the kids to call him-_ turned out to be the one who led the search mission down in Kojin Cave and rescued those trapped in there, including Tamaki. The raven wasn't the only one who was hospitalized and he'd come to check on everyone. 

"D-Does that mean we're in Shibo City?" Tamaki asked, titling his head. Taishiro nodded enthusiastically while Mirio was busy chewing one of the sweets the man handed out. Tamaki had refused. He wasn't very keen on sweets.

Then, the blonde man said something that completely shattered the peace in Tamaki's mind.

_"Still though Togata-kun, you should come out! Everyone wants to hear about the hero you were down there!"_

Tamaki's words came out in a soft stutter.

"H-Hero...?"

Mirio's eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah! Tamaki, when me and Nejire got to Kojin Cave, there were all these bad guys waiting around. Turns out, they were trying to take away all the wild Pokemon, so we battled them and made them surrender! We came just in time too, so they hadn't taken a lot of Pokemon and we were able to free them easily!"

_..........._

"Oh! And then there was this really _REALLY_ nasty duo! One was huge, like a bulking giant, and the other was a tiny midget! They yelled at us and tried to battle us, but we beat them! Easy-peasy!"

Tashiro chirped in.

"And that's when we found them. Togata-kun and Hadou-san helped us scout out the area and search for those trapped. That's when we found you."

Mirio nodded along vigorously.

"Turns out they're from this super big bad team called Team Hassaikai that does really horrible stuff around the Region!"

"You wouldn't believe how surprised I was when Togata-kun told me who he'd encountered! I was sure he would've gotten injured, but he didn't have a scratch after the Pokemon battle!"

Tamaki said nothing.

_What were they talking about?_

Wait...

Could it be....

Team Hassaikai had been in that cave for a long time. After what Tamaki had done, they'd only just been able to recover and coordinate themselves to recapture the Pokemon after a while. **That** was when Mirio and Nejire arrived. Tamaki had already gotten rid of their weapons when he came through, so they could only fight back with their Pokemon. They'd already been weakened when Mirio and Nejire came to finish them off.

He'd done _everything_ , and yet he was only labeled someone who'd been found.

Tamaki felt sick to his stomach.

But he kept his mouth sealed.

............

He only whispered out a few words.

_"I....want to see....my Pokemon."_

Right...

Just think of Pokemon...

Just think of nothing but then for now...

**\----------**

Tamaki was brought out into a small room with fake grass along its floors and walls painted with illustrations of clouds and flowers. It almost looked like an indoor playground.

And his Pokemon were all there.

When they realized he was there, Mimikyu, Dartrix and Ribombee launched themselves in his face, squeaking and chirping in relief and excitement. The raven let out a soft laugh and patted them, quickly closing the door behind him before the Pokemon's combined weight pushed him down to the ground as they pressed further into their Trainer.

"Okay okay everyone... Please settle down, you're crushing me..." Despite those words, Tamaki didn't try to push off the fluttering Pokemon and instead turned to face the remaining ones who hadn't come over.

_Lunatone and Solrock._

Immediately, his smile faded.

"Um...."

Dear Arceus, where did he even start? There was so much on his mind...

But in the end...

Tamaki bowed down low, until his forehead touched the ground.

_"Thank you for helping me."_

The two Pokemon stayed silent, but were hovering over Tamaki. However, they seemed to have...different attitudes.

Lunatone came floating by and circled around Tamaki slowly, hovering around. If the raven didn't know better, it almost seemed to be happy, and was gently celebrating his recovery by flying around him.

Solrock, on the other hand, simply hovered in the corner, almost as if it was trying to distancing itself from the rest of the group. 

Tamaki looked at it for a while in confusion and a hint of curiousity. Huh. That was weird... Why were Solrock and Lunatone here? They weren't his-

Oh.

The Pokeballs....

The raven's smile dropped off his face, and his Pokemon began to fuss over him as they realized their Trainer was no longer smiling. He patted Mimikyu's head absentmindedly. In the end, he could only say one thing.

_"I'm sorry..."_

However, when those words left his mouth, the two dual Rock and Psychic Types drifted closer to him before seemingly trying to nuzzle into his face, which was very much not possible. But it seemed to get the message across.

**Not your fault.**

Nevertheless, Tamaki let out a long sigh and crossed his arms. He was going to have to figure out what to do from this point on with those two Pokemon.

What should he do? Should he let them go? Could they stay? 

..........

Why shouldn't he just ask them instead?

So, the ten year old gazed up at Solrock and Lunatone with a soft smile.

_**"Would you like to stay with me?"** _

Lunatone twirled, but Solrock remained still.

Hm.

"I could smash your Pokeball and then you'd be set free?" Tamaki suggested, but the Solrock still didn't give any sign of approval and only hovered closer to the Lunatone.

Oh...

Solrock wanted to be close to Lunatone, but it didn't want Tamaki to be its Trainer, which was understandable. After what happened at Kojin Cave, it became clear that Tamaki couldn't handle Solrock's power nor how to command it. Just as how some people just couldn't be friends, Solrock and Tamaki just weren't compatible, and that was fine.

Still, that did posed quite a dilemma for the ten year old.

What to do...

In the end, Tamaki couldn't make his decision as the door opened to reveal a police officer. He was sent to question everyone about Team Hassaikai.

The interrogation was.... _difficult_ to say the least.

Tamaki knew he should tell the officer what had truly happened. How he was the one who had gotten rid of all the weapons, released all their captured Pokemon, and sent the operation into complete disarray.

But he couldn't.

_He kept his mouth sealed._

Tamaki closed the door to the empty room the officer had used as the interrogation room and let out a sigh of relief, glad it was finally over. He was barely there for 15 minutes, but he already felt so immensely drained.

He went to the front desk to receive his medicine from an exasperated Ms Chiyo. A bottle of pills. It turned out to be mostly iron supplements, with instructions to take two per day and switch to a diet with more iron rich food like fish. He could get more from a pharmacy in a pinch, but she advised him to go to her for the proper prescriptions.

Then, Mirio and Nejire came to stop in front of him just as he was about to leave.

Tamaki really wanted to cry.

But he kept quiet and listened.

"Hey Tamaki!" Mirio rushed over with a wide grin and hugged the raven, making him freeze up as his breath left him. Just as fast as he had hugged him, he let go, the smile still remaining on his face. "Are you feeling alright now? All your Pokemon healed up?" He asked. Tamaki only hummed and gave a curt nod, making Mirio's smile widen.

"Me and Nejire are gonna have a Pokemon battle! Wanna see?" He chirped.

Tamaki's eyes dimmed.

He said nothing and looked away, but Mirio still had a hold on his wrist, and tugged him outside.

_"........."_

**\----------**

The trio headed out to a wide open field behind the Pokemon Centre. While Mirio and Nejire stood on opposite sides a few steps away from each other, Tamaki waited by the side.

His voice was empty.

_"Battle start."_

Mirio and Nejire both let out their respective Pokemon, making Tamaki look up as he heard different noises from what he remembered.

Ah. Their Pokemon evolved, just like Dartrix. He pulled up his Pokedex to see what their new Pokemon were.

 **[Torracat; The Fire Cat Pokemon.]** and **[Brionne; The Pop Star Pokemon.]**

Tamaki hummed at that and began reading up the extra information inside the Pokedex. Since Yuuei could cater to the habitual needs of any and all Pokemon, their Pokedex was connected to every other Pokedex throughout the regions. In other words, there was a ginormous library of information available to Tamaki about Pokemon inside his Pokedex. He could learn much more than other regions that only had information restricted to their region rather than having shared access to discoveries or different versions found in other regions.

At his thoughts, the raven took out his Pokeballs and released all his Pokemon to stretch and bathe in the sunlight. They'd spent quite a bit of time cooped up in that dark cave after all. When he was finished with his business, Tamaki finally tuned back into Mirio and Nejire's battle. 

Mirio had the brightest shine in his eyes as he directed his Pokemon, to attack, to evade, to defend, all of his shouts were filled with enthusiasm and determination. Nejire on the other hand, spoke her commands evenly as her eyes darted around the battlefield with a critical eye even as her smile stayed plastered on her face. Her orders were quick and given with chirps in her voice.

Although... Their fighting styles...

Tamaki tilted his head.

Nejire seemed to favour have the _-literal-_ high ground, getting her Pokemon into the air before having them strike downwards. Even those that couldn't fly for very long or could only hover, were sent hopping and bouncing around the battlefield.

It was a rather good strategy. She focused on evasion to make her opponents miss their shots or hurt themselves in an effort to attack. However, Tamaki could see a few flaws. One, there was still the issue where most of her Pokemon couldn't fly very far or for very long yet. Two, making her Pokemon fly meant she couldn't have them get close and personal, meaning she had to stick to long ranged attacks that had their accuracy lowered because her Pokemon were flying and jumping everywhere. There wasn't a stable way to aim if she stuck to what she was doing. Not to mention how she was exhausting her Pokemon faster with this strategy.

Mirio on the other hand, dealt strong powerful strikes and backed off on the defensive in preparation for the counterattack. He mixed between long ranged special attacks and physical charges. Of course, this had disadvantages as well and wasn't a fullproof tactic. For instance, if his Pokemon had low defensive abilities and missed their opportunity to strike, he'd be done for.

Tamaki continued to observe, but his eyes strayed more and more towards Mirio like a moth to a flame. He noticed how powerful his Pokemon were. His Stufful had already evolved into a Bewear, leaving craters in the shape of its footsteps wherever it stomped down. His Torracat was a ferocious feline, the fire it spat out roaring like a bonfire. Tamaki could even feel the tinges of violent electricity buzzing from his Pikachu as it darted around the field.

_Mirio's Pokemon had such power within them, yet he somehow kept it controlled and trained._

Tamaki looked behind him at the Solrock, hovering away from the group.

.............

"Wheew!! What an exciting battle, huh?" Mirio exclaimed, stretching his arms high above his head and jumping around to get rid of his excess adrenaline. In the end, Nejire beat him, but only just barely, with her Emolga. The blonde didn't seem to take it to heart and only laughed and patted the girl on the back happily. 

Tamaki watched them both with rapt attention before approaching, two water bottles in his hands. "...Good...battle." He muttered out softly. Mirio turned to him with a gleam and nodded, almost preening at the praise. Tamaki tried not to think about that look too much and simply smiled sheepishly, holding out the water bottles.

The blonde took them with curiosity and confusion in his eyes before Tamaki had to gesture at Nejire, who was standing to the side tending to her Pokemon. Another shake of the water bottle finally got Mirio to understand and he nodded eagerly, swiping the water bottles from Tamaki's hand before running over to Nejire.

Tamaki kept his smile until the blonde had walked a distance away, before it finally faded from his face and he turned to Mirio's backpack, dumped against a nearby tree.

..........

He turned to the Solrock at his side.

_"Would you like to be with him?"_

It spun around a few times, and that was all the answer he needed.

When the duo returned, Tamaki had long since packed his bags and walked off to the next city.

_"Nejire look, it's a Solrock!"_

_"Really? Aren't they supposed to be really rare?"_

_"It really is! It's just sitting in my bag and even has a Pokeball!"_

_"Do you think someone left it?"_

_"I dunno... Hey it... I think it likes me!"_

_"Really? Keep it then! Someone must've left it there on purpose. I mean, they can't have accidentally plopped it into your bag, right?"_

_"A gift is what it is! And what a wonderful gift it is..."_

_"I'll say!"_

**\----------**

Tamaki took a look at his surroundings, his Datrix perched on his shoulder _-it was getting quite heavy now-_ , Mimikyu shuffling by his side, and Ribombee fluttering behind him. Lunatone chose to stay inside its Pokeball tucked away into his belt. The sunlight was glaring after his time in the dark cave and the raven winced and covered his eyes.

Shibo City was hustling and bustling with its usual crowd. It was one of the most populated city due to its reputation for having amazing culinary talents of every kind. Chefs, bakers, any culinarian arts imaginable, could be found in Shibo City and served like a 5 star meal, even if it was just a street vendor. And don't even _start_ when there was a festival of any kind.

Tamaki looked around and flinched slightly when the street vendors called out to him in loud shouts, his ears stinging at their calls.

_He really couldn't handle loud noises..._

Nevertheless, he swallowed the saliva wallowing up in his mouth at all the different scents of delicious food. Sweet, savoury, spicy, it all mixed together into a broth of mouth-watering flavours all waiting to be tasted. Tamaki could hear the sizzling pans and cooking utensils clanking together mixing with the calls of the vendors and continued speed walking away from the crowds.

**_Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it-_ **

"Ah... F-Finally...got...away..." Tamaki wheezed against the tree he rested against, relieved to finally be away from that turbulence. His Pokemon fussed over him, but he knew better. He knew the way some of them longingly looked at the stalls filled with delicious food. 

But the raven simply sighed and shook his head.

Even if he _did_ want to eat the food, Tamaki needed to save up on the money he had on him. Binging on food wasn't going to help with that.

"Sorry everyone," He sighed, patting Mimikyu, who'd been the most enthusiastic in its pursuit for food. "Unless it's with hard-earned money and not our savings, we won't be buying any of the food here." He said.

At that, many of his Pokemon began whining and chirping in disappointment. All except for one.

Ribombee fluttered forward with a jar in its hand, which made Tamaki tilt his head in confusion and mild curiosity. What was that? 

It handed him the jar, and as Tamaki looked up and down from Ribombee and the pot, its face seemed to encourage him. The raven gazed down and unscrewed the lid of the jar, peering inside. Within the jar was a golden liquid, and eventually, he dared to dip his fingers in and put the substance into his mouth with Ribombee's reassuring look.

A burst of sweetness roared forth upon his tongue and Tamaki moaned in delight at the taste.

_So syrupy and sweet! Such smooth and sticky texture! This was... This was..._

**_The legendary Ribombee honey...!_ **

Most Ribombees made and held little Pollen Puffs in their hands, and the Alolan region even sold them as a nutritious supplement.

However, Ribombee _**HONEY?**_ That was on a totally different level.

It was rated as one of the top ten rarest delicacies around the world, with its thick golden surface and its rich sugary sweetness, it improved every meal it was added to. There was no sweeter dessert and topping, and was a luxury to even have a drop of it added to your meal.

So to have a whole _**JAR** _of it??

"But...why? W-What should I do with this?" Tamaki asked, shaking his head and screwing back the lid to the honey jar. It was precious goods now! 

Ribombee kept chirping and fluttering its wings, but Tamaki just couldn't understand it at all. In the end, he could do nothing but carefully place the jar into his backpack, nestled between his soft jackets so it wouldn't crack. The Pokemon seemed to droop at his actions, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Tamaki walked on, trying desperately to ignore the various smells and calls of the stalls and restaurants, opting instead to march straight to the Gym.

Which was...closed...

_Huh?_

The raven gazed up, completely befuddled as Dartrix and Mimikyu shared his sentiment by titling their heads. At that moment, Tamaki finally noticed the piece of paper stuck onto the door of the Gym. It was a notice.

'Due to the destructive incidents in Kojin Cave; a location that falls under the jurisdiction of Shibo City, the Shibo City Gym Leader, Toyomitsu Taishiro - Fatgum, has taken responsibility and will oversee the dilemma. Until the issues are resolved, the Gym will remain closed. We deeply apologize to the Trainers who wish to battle during this time for the inconvenience.'

Tamaki's shoulders drooped at the news. It made a lot of snese, what with Fatgum showing up at the hospital and Kojin Cave being his responsibility, but the ten year old still couldn't help but pout. 

Great.

What was he supposed to do for the next few days when he couldn't challenge the Gym?

Tamaki sighed and turned around, preparing to leave. Maybe he could just go back to his hotel and sleep...

Until he heard screaming and turned his head, only for his eyes to widen to the size of dinnerplates. 

Because zooming across him were a pair of kids, one with scruffy black hair and strangely sharp teeth and the other with blonde spiky hair and fiery red eyes.

The black haired boy was atop a wild Tyrunt that was bucking and moving wildly like it was trying to throw him off while he held on valiantly, trying to wrangle it down. 

The blonde boy on the other hand, was right behind him and screaming at the top of his lungs as he grasped and held tight on the Tyrunt's tail for dear life. 

_..........._

_What the absolute f-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... I've kinda lost quite a bit of my passion, and I might delete a few of the stories. I'm realizing that I prefer writing one-shot stories a bit more. But this one I'm keeping because I built a lot into this story and the Pokemon world around it. Complain all you want, but like, it's my story and I'm unbothered by complaints.
> 
> Well, there's that. I'll see y'all later. Bye.


End file.
